As the Biblical narrative unfolded the Chosen People came to recognize that God chose them as a “light to the nations,” to attact others to the true God. “All nations shall stream toward it,” according to Isaiah 2:2. The nations will say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you,” according to Zechariah. The Catholic Church in our time has understood that we have an evangelizing mission, that we can’t remain content in ourselves but that God wants us to bring others into relationship with the divine. But for that to happen in our time we will need to replicate the experience of the early Church. We must become a people who exhibit kindness, compassion, generosity, forgiveness. An ancient writer, Tertullian, explained the reason Roman society was attracted to Christianity. They said, “Look at those Christians, how they love one another.” We are not going to be successful as evangelizers with divisions and squabbling over this or that but by loving one another.
