Catching Fire for Christ: The Certificate in Evangelization

When I decided to enter religious life, very intentionally, in an adoration chapel, I offered to the Lord everything He had given me, and especially laid down at the altar the things I loved so much that I was “giving up” to be fully His. Among those prized things were great literature, writing, and teaching. I laid them at the altar joyfully—I had found the pearl of great price, and all these lesser treasures seemed like mere tokens in comparison.

Over the years, the Lord in His great generosity has seen fit to assume, purify, and elevate all that I laid on the altar that day, and to give it back to me in surprising and beautiful ways, now not as something I do because of a personal passion, but because it is part of the mission of New Evangelization to which He has called me as a member of the Society of Mary. Being a teaching assistant in the Certificate in Evangelization through St. Bernard’s and the Saint John Society has been one of those surprising gifts, as the Lord has given back my love for teaching, especially through profound conversations with students.

For the past two years, I have been blessed to guide two discussion groups each term as we discuss evangelization, the Gospels, the life of Christ, and what it means to live the new life in Christ. Each week I look forward to these sessions because as the students share what they are learning, they also share what knowing Jesus Christ has meant for their lives. The richness of these discussions feeds me and provides, every time, something for me to take to prayer. This role also means that I get to keep learning and studying, too, as it implies listening to the classes and reading the assignments.

If I had to highlight one thing, it would be seeing the students, all of whom have a living relationship with Jesus Christ, catch fire, if you will, for evangelization, discovering that they, too, are not only called but also equipped through this certificate course to share the message of salvation with all those around them: in their families, their workplaces, their friend groups. As a Sister dedicated to the mission of the New Evangelization, being part of the formation of others who can carry out this mission in the world is a cause for deep joy and thanksgiving, and a way of being an answer to the prayer that we continually raise to the Father, to "send more laborers to the harvest."