As we
get ready to celebrate the solemnities of the Ascension and Pentecost in the
next couple of weeks, we hear about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate
that Jesus is sending us, in today’s Gospel. As
Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit to be with us, he also sends us out to be
Evangelizers of his Word. We have heard
about this a lot in the “new evangelization” that Pope Benedict XVI and Pope
Francis have commissioned us to do. Back
in the late 6th century, Pope Gregory the Great felt the call to
bring the Gospel to the Anglo Saxons of Great Britain who had not yet been
converted to the faith. He
sent a man named Augustine to head a group of 40 monks to evangelize the Anglo
Saxons. What an usual group to choose
for such a task! Augustine heard about the ferocity of the Anglo Saxons, wanting to turn back
and abandon the mission. Gregory would not allow them to turn back. Augustine
met great success in establishing 3 different mission dioceses and founding the
cathedral seat in Canterbury, where his remains where buried upon his death 7
years after arriving in England. God
might have a specific task for us in evangelizing our little corner of the
world. We
probably have a lot of opportunities each day if we just look around us. The
thought and reality of being witnesses of God’s Word may frighten us at times,
just as the reality of his missionary endeavors scared Augustine of Canterbury. But
the Holy Spirit will lead us and guide. We are called to trust.
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