Public Display of Love
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” You’ve probably heard this quote often misattributed to Saint Francis of Assisi. That’s right. Historians find no evidence that points to him actually saying it. On the contrary, many think it is very ‘un-Francis’ — he preached with words all the time!
But, we can reframe this quote to bring it into focus for us.
What it boils down to is loving others and then explaining the ‘why’ to them. We commit acts of love, then we share the source of that love. That’s what we’re talking about here.
Helping the poor and caring for the sick then explaining ‘why’ is what the greatest missionaries in our history have done. They love, and then explain why.
In today’s world, we are faced with the same challenge of evangelization. And, the good part is, we don’t have to go across the globe to do it. All we have to do is love, and then share the reason for our love. It’s that simple.