Evangelization As a Duty for All Catholics
While not included in most lists of the “Precepts of the Church,” we still have a responsibility to obey a “Seventh Precept,” which is to participate in the Church’s mission of evangelization. We all bear the responsibility to help bring about the conversion of souls. For that reason, participating in the evangelization of souls is included in some lists of the precepts. But regardless of the list, we still have a responsibility to comply with this precept.
St. Therese, co-patron of the missions along with St. Francis Xavier, wrote the following in her autobiography, which applies to all of us today:
“Our vocation is not to go forth and reap in Our Father’s fields. Jesus does not say to us: ‘Look down and reap the harvest.’ Our mission is even more sublime. ‘Lift up your eyes and see,’ saith our Divine Master, ‘see how in Heaven there are empty thrones.’ It is for you to fill them…. ‘You are as Moses praying on the mountain, so ask Me for laborers and they shall be sent. I only await a prayer, a sigh!’ Is not the apostolate of prayer – so to speak – higher than that of the spoken word? It is for us by prayer to train workers who will spread the glad tidings of the Gospel and who will save countless souls – the souls to whom we shall be the spiritual Mothers.”[1]
We can join the work of St. Therese by praying daily for the conversion of non-Catholics, for the reversion of lapsed Catholics, and the success of foreign missionaries. Missionaries are needed in both foreign lands and in many of our own cities and streets. We pray for all of them to be successful. We pray for the Lord to send more missionaries into the harvest.
What Can I Do?
We do bear a responsibility for one another. None of us should have the prideful and envious (selfish) attitude of Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9) This led him to lie and to murder. None of us should be like the priest or Levite who ignored the wounded man, but rather we should follow the example of the Good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:31-33). Though these examples deal with physical matters, they speak even more insistently about spiritual matters.
Charity, the divine love of God, compels us to want to help save souls. We should therefore ardently desire to do what we can to help provide others with the means necessary for salvation.
Most of us are not called to be missionaries like St. Patrick, St. Boniface, or St. Francis Xavier. Our duties of state most likely prevent us from being missionaries. But that does not mean we “may wash our hands clean” of the matter. We are not only called to pray for missionaries and the conversion of people, but we should also take action within the duties of our state in life.
This could be as direct and essential as parents teaching the Catholic Faith to their children. (Parents may not simply leave teaching prayers and the catechism up to others.) However, it also means parents should strive for a home environment and family traditions that enable the faith to be shared with others, such as relatives and friends who visit.
We can share the truths of the Faith with friends, co-workers, and acquaintances at opportune moments. It could even be as simple as “sharing” any good Catholic videos, podcasts, and articles we come across (like those found here at The Fatima Center) on our social media platforms. It means not being afraid of making the Sign of the Cross before a meal in a public place. Each one of us has concrete (and simple) ways by which we can help evangelize those within our sphere of influence.
Why Does This Matter So Much?
We are not interested in increasing our numbers to achieve higher statistics or political power. We are missionaries because we know of no way for a soul to be saved than through the Catholic Church. The Church has always taught – infallibly! – that there is no salvation outside of the Church. To those who deny this truth, they need to be reminded that the Church has already pronounced it officially on many occasions. It is a dogma of the Faith that must be believed.[2]
There is only one God. All other alleged gods that people pray to are false. They are either demons or they do not exist at all. And it follows that if there is only one true God, there can only be one true religion. Baptism is either required for salvation or it is not. Jesus Christ is either God or He is not. A truth cannot be both true and false. A divinely revealed truth cannot be true to some people and false to others. Such a truth is objective and universal. Therefore, it cannot be true at some points in time and false at other points in time.
To claim the contrary is akin to asserting that 2+2 = 4 to some people but to others 2+2 = 5. Divinely revealed dogmatic truths are necessary for salvation, do not change, and are not dictated by opinion. They are true regardless of our own wants, opinions, or beliefs. They are as true as 2+2 equaling 4 even if we do not believe it is 4 or do not want it to be 4. But it is 4. And nothing changes that.
Likewise, there is only one true religion established by God and that is the Catholic Religion. As the Baltimore Catechism succinctly teaches:
“There can be only one true religion, because a thing cannot be false and true at the same time, and, therefore, all religions that contradict the teaching of the true Church must teach falsehood. If all religions in which men seek to serve God are equally good and true, why did Christ disturb the Jewish religion and the Apostles condemn heretics?” (Baltimore Catechism #3 Q. 516).
It is the obligation of all people to convert to the Catholic Religion. Even if a person was born into a false religion that does not excuse them. Catholicism is not only meant for children born to Catholic parents in Catholic countries. All peoples are meant to be members of the universally established religion for salvation – the Catholic Religion.
The Baltimore Catechism’s wisdom teaches us:
“What excuses do some give for not becoming members of the true Church? They do not wish to leave the religion in which they were born… How do you answer such excuses? To say that we should remain in a false religion because we were born in it is as untrue as to say we should not heal our bodily diseases because we were born with them…” (Baltimore Catechism #3, QQ. 514-515).
The Example of Blessed Augustine Thevarparampil
To serve as an example for us, we should consider the life of Blessed Augustine Thevarparampil of India.
Father Augustine Thevarparampil (1891-1973), known as the apostle of the untouchables, was born in Ramapuram, India on April 1, 1891. At the age of 33, on Dec. 17, 1921, he was ordained by the Servant of God Mar Tommaso Kurialacherry. He was commonly called “Kunjachan,” which means “little priest”. In 1923 he was sent as vice parish priest to the Church of St. Sebastian in Kadanad, but his poor health forced him to return to his former village in 1926.
During this time of illness, Father Augustine became aware of the miserable living conditions of the untouchables – the lowest caste of the Indian society, forced to perform degrading works. Father Augustine devoted his life to evangelization and fighting for better treatment of the poor, including the untouchables. He baptized over 6,000 people during his life.
Father Augustine rose at 4 AM each day, celebrated the Traditional Latin Mass, and then went out into the world for Christ. He helped resolve disputes, preached the Gospel, and cared for the sick. Father Augustine would particularly love to visit children. The children would flock to his side when he visited their village, and he would give them any sweets that he had on him.
Father Augustine lived modestly and entirely spiritually. He was a servant of God. His will begins: “I possess neither land nor money, and I owe no one anything. I want my funeral to be a very simple one.” On October 16, 1973, at age 82, Father Augustine, the priest who cared for the poorest of the poor, died. His tomb attracts thousands of pilgrims. And his story is not isolated. All saints have had a strong desire to win souls for Christ. After all, if souls are lost and therefore not saved, nothing else matters.
Conclusion
Let us pray every single day for the propagation of the Faith. To this end, the Collect prayer for the Propagation of the Faith can be added to our daily prayers, starting today:
“O God, Who willest that all men should be saved and should come to the knowledge of the truth: we beseech Thee, send forth laborers into Thy harvest, and grant them grace to speak Thy word with all boldness, so that Thy word may spread swiftly and be glorified, and all nations may know Thee, the only God and Him Whom Thou hast sent: even Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth. Amen.”
ENDNOTES:
[1] St. Therese of Lisieux’s autobiography is called The Story of a Soul. This quote comes from Chapter XII, found online at Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
[2] Pope Innocent III: “There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.” (Fourth Lateran Council, 1215)
Pope Boniface VIII: “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” (Unam Sanctam, 1302)
Pope Eugene IV: “The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.” (Cantate Domino, 1441)
Pope Pius IX: “It is to be held of faith that none can be saved outside the Apostolic Roman Church … but nevertheless it is equally certain that those who are ignorant of the true religion, if that ignorance is invincible, will not be held guilty in the matter in the eyes of the Lord” (Solemn Allocution Singulari Quadam, December 9, 1854). “We all know that those who are invincibly ignorant of our religion and who nevertheless lead an honest and upright life, can, under the influence of divine light and divine grace, attain to eternal life; for God Who knows and sees the mind, the heart, the thoughts, and the dispositions of every man, cannot in His infinite bounty and clemency permit any one to suffer eternal punishment who is not guilty through his own fault.” (Quanto Conficiamur, August 10, 1863)