Mary, our guide to evangelisation

BY ANTHONY GATHAMBIRI IMC

May is traditionally the month of Mary. It is a time to renew our relationship with Mary, the star of evangelisation. In this Year of Faith in particular, her company is essential if we want to remain faithful to the mission of taking Jesus to people. She had manifold qualities of a good evangeliser.

Fireworks are set off at the inauguration of a new statue of the Blessed Virgin near Oruro, Bolivia. In his article, Anthony Gathambiri argues that Mary is essential in evangelisation. (Photo: David Mercado, Reuters)

In Mary we see how to be followers of Christ in the midst of challenges. Mary is a heroine who moves with Jesus to the cross. She sees her son being subjected to all injustices, even being killed like a criminal.

We live in a world where there are different manifestations of injustice. Scandals and different levels of dishonesty are pitching their tents everywhere. The promotion of justice has to be part of our evangelisation efforts, starting within our own churches.

The evangeling mission belongs to all. One need not be a priest or religious to take Jesus to society. Mary was not clergy. She fulfilled her mission as a lay person and as a woman.

In this month of Mary we need to repent for neglecting the laity and especially women who are still, in some societies, seen as a second-class people.

Mary’s vocation was to bring Jesus to the world. Evangelisation is about taking Jesus to the world. This is our call as missionaries.

Mission is not about building magnificent churches, nor about baptising crowds of people, nor even about establishing vibrant communities; mission is first of all about bringing Jesus to the world.

Missionaries who move around telling everyone what they have built or what projects they have founded are mistaken. Mary never boasted about being the mother of God. She understood well that her vocation belonged to God.

As missionaries, how serious are we when we take Jesus to the world? How discreet are we when we start projects?

When hearing that Elizabeth has conceived a son, and she is in her sixth month, Mary immediately rushes to serve her. Evangelisation without service is inauthentic. We touch people’s lives only when we emulate Mary, taking her as our model of service. People will accept Jesus if the carrier of the Gospel is a servant like Mary. The “boss attitude” cannot work in evangelisation.

Taking Jesus to the world demands from us serious commitment and witness. People cannot believe us if we are preaching one thing and living another.

Evangelisation is also about proclaiming the faith that we live, much more than standing at the pulpit pumping abstract doctrines to the people in the pews. Scripture should be our daily bread if we want to know Jesus and live like him.

Mary is a good example for those who seek to understand things. She wondered: “How can this be since I am a virgin?”

To evangelise in various cultures, this attitude of wanting to know about things is needed. The “I know it all” style of carrying out God’s mission can’t accomplish much. We need to be humble enough to learn even from those whom we seek to teach.

Mary began her mission by being full of grace. The Holy Spirit descended upon her as announced by the angel. The principal agent of the mission is the Holy Spirit. A missionary without the Spirit is lifeless. We have fire within us when we have the Holy Spirit.

And, of course, Mary was present in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, the birth of the missionary Church.

Hail Mary, pray for us.