When we talk about a work of art being very expressive, or someone having a good expression on their face, what we mean is that somehow an invisible reality of beauty or emotion is being made visible to us. St. John Paul II tells us that we need to have new expressions of our faith, new ways to make the invisible faith we hold inside, visible to the world at large.
There is an old saying: “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would they have enough evidence to convict you?” Jesus tells his disciples that it is by their love for one another that they will be recognized. Charity, generosity, forgiveness and good works flow from the heart of the disciple as expressions of their love for God.
Jesus told his disciples;
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ …‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Mt 25:35,40
Based on this teaching of Jesus, the Church throughout history has highlighted the spiritual and corporal works of mercy as a way for us to express our faith in service to others. These are tried and true expressions of faith that the Church has excelled at for generations:
Here in the Archdiocese of St. Louis we have two patron saints that are great examples of this. In working with the poor, St. Vincent de Paul expressed the corporal works of mercy, responding to the physical needs of the people that he encountered. St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in establishing schools for children is a shining example of how we can express our faith through the spiritual works of mercy. St Vincent de Paul and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne both responded to a prompting of the Holy Spirit to express the faith in a new way that was needed in their place and time. We too need to be open as they were to the new expressions needed today!
We are blessed that as a Church we have some of the most robust social outreach of any institution or group. However, I do see some challenges to the current mode of expression.
As Pope Francis says:
How many poor people today are like Bartimaeus (cf Mk 10:46-52), sitting on the roadside and looking for meaning in their lives! How many of them wonder why they have fallen so far and how they can escape! They are waiting for someone to come up to them and say: ‘Take heart; rise, he is calling you.’ - Pope Francis, Second World Day of the Poor, 2018
Jesus says that it is by our love for one another that they will know we are his disciples. I challenge all of us in the Archdiocese to recommit to some expression of Christian service. And I invite all of us across the Archdiocese to ask God to inspire in us new ways for us to express our love for our neighbors. Let us, like St. James, give proof of our faith by our good works!
There are already so many different ways that we can reach out in Christian service to others. But as our neighborhoods change, so do the needs. Today, we have an opportunity to re-evaluate new expressions of service to more fully respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters.
To the young church, it is important to remember that the new expression of Christian love that we need in the Archdiocese might just be you. You are the solution to the problems that the world faces today. In you lies the creativity, the gifts and the new expressions of faith that will carry the Church forward.
