Just like the first apostles, we are called to proclaim Christ

AS CHRISTIANS AND TRUE followers of Christ on our earthly journey, we have one ultimate purpose: to live an exemplary virtuous life that will lead us, our families, and our neighbors to eternal happiness. As Christians, we become disciples of Christ; and, like the apostles, we are sent to proclaim Christ to all!

A few words from Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Missio (“Mission of the Redeemer”) loudly echoes unequivocally our purpose as Christians: “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church, can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.”

Saint Paul, a convert to Christianity himself, was one of the most eloquent in proclaiming Christ as the Savior and Redeemer to all people of all nations. Many came to listen to Paul’s preaching, but not all were convinced. Though many scoffed at him, he did manage to plant many seeds that years later sprouted into rich harvests. His style and success in working for the conversion and salvation of souls embraced the people and their culture.

Paul was brilliantly gentle and had the utmost charity toward his crowd and the culture of the era, but he never swayed from the true message of Christ. Rather, he used the errant theology and paganism of his day to encourage and win over the people’s unknowingly restful and yearning hearts for the one true God. We see a pure example of Paul’s rhetorical mastery at work when he says, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22). Here he’s referring to their idolatry and their many pagan gods in a complimentary way. Later, though, he explains: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man” (Acts 17:24).

Paul was fearless and unrelenting in preaching the salvific message of Christ. He had to be fearless, because his message was often received with resistance, and many protested his preaching. He was even mocked, beaten, and arrested for his evangelization, and ultimately it cost him his life. Paul’s most charitable style of evangelization is one that we should all be embracing if we hope to help those who have fallen away or are simply ignorant regarding Christianity’s redemptive “truth” — Christ’s passion and Resurrection.

Are we our brothers’ keepers? Indeed, we are! Just like physical hunger in today’s society, the spiritual famine in the world is immense. In our secular and modern world, instant material and pseudo-spiritual gratification is at our fingertips. We’re one click away from filling our life with more materialism and secular ideologies, leaving our hearts with no need for the “true food” that is God Himself. In his June 28, 2010, homily on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI eloquently described the social and spiritual state of need in the new millennium: “Human beings of the third millennium want an authentic, full life; they need truth, profound freedom, love freely given. Even in the deserts of the secularized world, man’s soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Faith in the living God is something we cannot buy with a click. Rather, it is freely given by the grace of God. Let us be the instrument that can lead our brethren to wonder about this great gift — Christ Himself, our Redeemer and Savior!

Chef Neil Fusco is founder of Cucina Antica Foods, Corp. a specialty Italian food-production company. Raised on a farm in San Marzano in southern Italy, he learned his family's farm production and cooking. His 2017 cookbook, "May Love Be the Main Ingredient at Your Table", presents amusing and heartfelt stories about faith, family, and recipies from his old world childhood.