"The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35).
My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:
As I continue my monthly reflections on evangelization, I am conscious of the fact that during this month of May we will be celebrating the feast of Pentecost, the "birthday of the Church," the 50th day after Easter when, through the persuasive power of the Holy Spirit in the apostles and their hearers, 3,000 people joined the faith. May is also the month during which we traditionally honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, rejoicing in the way she let herself be the instrument of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.
Many years ago, I recall learning the episcopal motto of the late Cardinal Leo Jozef Suenens of Brussels: "With Mary in the Holy Spirit." I was fascinated by the way he brought together these two themes of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary. As noted in the Scripture reference at the head of this column, according to St. Luke's Gospel, the Holy Spirit "overshadowed" the Blessed Virgin and she conceived Jesus, the Son of God — not by her own power — but by the Spirit of God. Empty of herself, the Blessed Virgin allowed the Holy Spirit to completely take over every aspect of her life and, so, we call upon her as "full of grace." The motto of Cardinal Suenens implies a hope and a prayer that we might all follow Mary's example: not only should we seek to welcome the Holy Spirit within us, rather, we should seek something even more profound — namely that we should dwell within the Holy Spirit!
Evangelization: Sharing the Good News of Jesus through the Spirit
Evangelization is a difficult word to define but at its core, it refers to the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, something that can be done only in, with, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit worked through Jesus Christ as He preached and healed during His days on Earth, that same Holy Spirit draws us to know Him and love Him and gives us the power to speak about Him to others. The Holy Spirit must be at work at one and the same time in the act of proclaiming and in the work of hearing and responding to the message. Evangelization is about both Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
From that perspective, we can clearly see how Mary is a premier example of an evangelizer. She received the Word with humble gratitude at the time of the Annunciation and allowed Jesus to take flesh within her. She brought the Word of God to her cousin Elizabeth at the time of the visitation. She continued to contemplate the Word even after she had given birth to her Son and as she watched Him grow and mature into adulthood. In fact, Jesus gave high praise to His mother precisely for this aspect of her faith: "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!"
Mary was both the recipient of the Word and the proclaimer of the Word. Much of the way she proclaimed the Word is unknown to us but, presumably, she bore witness to the gift and mystery of her Son's divine identity precisely by her silence and humility, and in the way she faithfully stood by Him even to His death on the cross.
With a mother's love, the Blessed Virgin was truly the instrument of the Holy Spirit, allowing the Word to become flesh and always remaining open to the ever-new challenges that she and the early Church experienced at the time of Christ's glorification and return to the Father. According to Acts chapter one, the Blessed Virgin was present with the other disciples at the time the Holy Spirit came upon them for the beginning of the mission of the preaching of the Gospel. We continue to look to her as an intercessor and advocate as we invoke the guidance, inspiration and renewing power of the Holy Spirit so that we ourselves might better hear and proclaim the Word of God.
Inward and outward aspects of evangelization
From the example of the Blessed Virgin and the way she cooperated with the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit, it is clear that evangelization requires the grace of being a good receiver and also a commitment to share with others all that we have received. As our National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States (2001) puts it, "Inwardly, it calls for our continued receiving of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ongoing conversion both individually and as a Church. … Outwardly, evangelization addresses those who have not heard the Gospel or who, having heard it, have stopped practicing their faith, and those who see the fullness of faith" (Article 23).
Evangelization, therefore, requires a prayerful spirit. We share with others that which is significant to us. Evangelization is "heart speaking to heart" and is not simply a matter of sharing intellectual truths or insights, concepts, or dogmas. While the Church certainly needs strong catechesis and faith formation, the work of evangelization presumes, above all, a deep and abiding contact, a permanent relationship with the Lord Jesus as savior, brother and friend. Like Mary and with Mary, we share with others from the very core of our existence where the Holy Spirit is at work helping us know and bring to life again the compassionate love of Jesus Christ.
Evangelization: With and for the Church
Evangelization is never a solitary effort but always involves a connection to the ministry of the Church. Consider the
way the Blessed Virgin Mary never drew attention to herself and how the Church always reflects on Mary as a model disciple, believer and follower, the premier "member" of the Church. At the end of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI spoke of her as "Mother of the Church" and Pope John Paul II often called her "Mother of the Beloved Disciple." Everything we attribute to or say about Mary also refers to the Church. Consider for example, the Litany of Our Lady of Loretto and the many beautiful titles by which we address Mary; all of these are indeed descriptions of the Church itself: House of God, Gate of Heaven, Morning Star, Ark of the Covenant, Tower of Ivory, etc.
Evangelization, therefore, requires not only an ever-deepening conversion to the Lord Jesus on a personal and intimate basis, but it also challenges us to a humble and faithful love for the Church, its leaders, and all its members. To love the Lord Jesus, we must know and love His risen Body, the Church. The Blessed Virgin Mary teaches us that type of love and reverence for both His physical body and the spiritual reality of the Church.
In His beautiful recent Apostolic Exhortation on the Holy Eucharist, "Sacramentum Caritatis," our Holy Father reflects on the connection between the Holy Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. "In Mary most holy, we also see perfectly fulfilled the 'sacramental' way that God comes down to meet His creatures and involves them in His saving work. From the Annunciation to Pentecost, Mary of Nazareth appears as someone whose freedom is completely open to God's will.… She is the Immaculata, who receives God's gift unconditionally and is thus associated with His work of salvation. Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church, is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift that Jesus makes of Himself in the Eucharist" (Article 33).
Mary: Model of evangelization and service
In the Blessed Virgin Mary, we see the perfect model of evangelizing love, for in Mary, Word and deed became completely and perfectly one. For our part, we struggle to find the words to express our faith and quite often we know our deeds fall short of expressing the depth of our faith in the Lord Jesus. But we can find consolation and encouragement in remembering that we are never alone: we are "with Mary in the Holy Spirit!"
I would like to conclude my column by reference to one of the churches of our archdiocese where we can see the work of Mary and evangelization happening here and now. I speak of the Shrine of St. Joseph Parish in Pontiac, part of the Pontiac Catholic Community. Originally founded 80 years ago as a parish for Polish Catholics, as the neighborhood changed over the decades, the parish began to welcome people of other nationalities, racial and ethnic origins; it became more and more truly "Catholic." Responding to the needs of people in the neighborhood, the Church began to open up what little space it had to provide food and medical assistance. As people come to the clinic for medications and other medical assistance, they encounter many statues and paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They inquire about the significance of Mary and those who serve them begin to care not only for their bodies, but also for their spirits! This is a wonderful story of faith and a reminder of the power of evangelization when we are truly open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, like Mary and with Mary.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop of Detroit
May Prayer Theme:
"Evangelization with Mary in the Holy Spirit"
During the month of May, as we remember the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prepare to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, we rejoice in the power of the Holy Spirit that worked in the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Church at its origin, and even here and now in our metro area and throughout the world. We ask for the grace to live always "with Mary, in the Holy Spirit."
Almighty Father, as you sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within the womb of the Virgin Mary, she conceived and gave birth to your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, savior of the world. By the witness of her prayers, as your Church prepares to celebrate the completion of the Easter mystery of Pentecost, may we experience a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our life and times, that we may more fully and completely be witnesses to the Gospel of Life. This we ask through Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
