Pentecost
Speak the Word of God with Boldness
Editor’s Note: A reflection on the Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31.
Notice that the Apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit. Then, they share it with others.
This is a basic spiritual principle: one must give others what one receives from the Lord. We call this evangelization.
The text from the Acts of the Apostles mentions that they “continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Boldness, what does that mean for preaching and talking about God’s word today? Every one of us is called to speak God’s word with boldness. But what does it mean? What does it look like?
Does it mean ‘fire and brimstone’? Does it mean jumping to the conclusion, “If you don’t do this, you’re going to Hell?” Does it mean not caring at all about what other people may think? Does it sound like, “I don’t care about your opinion; you’re wrong, and I’m right?” Does it target the other person and utilize words such as laziness, stupidity, immorality, ignorance, narrow-mindedness, carelessness, etc.?
Some in the Church think that this ‘fire and brimstone’ approach is what the word ‘boldness’ really means. I couldn’t disagree more with them.
A saying I find helpful regarding evangelization in our modern world is, “One attracts more flies with honey than vinegar.”
The ‘fire and brimstone’ approach is mere vinegar. It’s neither practical nor rooted in the Gospel. Vinegar is sour.
I prefer the honey approach. It’s non-threatening, gentle, consistent, yet demanding. It meets people within a realm they can understand yet challenges them. The honey approach is sticky; it lingers in the minds and hearts of listeners. This type of approach talks about the beauty and joy of following Jesus. It also talks tremendously about the remarkable adventure with Jesus Christ. This approach tastes good, like honey, and we want more of it.
The honey approach reflects Pope St. John Paul II’s key phrase, “Evangelization must propose, not impose.” This approach has confidence that holiness is attractive. The human eye is drawn to holiness like a light in the darkness. Like a tongue craving for more honey, the soul wants more holiness.
An imposing style is simply vinegar while neither being successful nor obedient to the Gospel. A style of proposing is authentic to the Gospel message and, quite frankly, effective.
Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized the via pulchritudinis, which means “the way of beauty.” His approach to evangelization honors both the Gospel and the cultural realities of our present day. I’d argue that “the way of beauty” is a bold way to preach the Gospel while understanding modern culture.
It proposes instead of imposing upon another. It engages the imagination and reaches into the depths of the person. It lingers in listeners' minds and hearts, like honey's sweetness and stickiness.
We can be bold at all times yet extremely smart about our approach. The way of beauty is like sweet honey, which always attracts more flies than mere vinegar.
+ Fr. Ben Daghir
This article has a timely message for today's Christians. So many people claim to be Christian but the word they are proclaiming is contrary to the Word of Jesus. I really appreciate this message.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen ........I remember listening to him many times when I was very young and later when he speaks in videos . He had a SPIRIT when he spoke that made clear to me what was real when I had been lost in my thinking by what I was seeing in the world by the different forms of media.