In his Confessions (part 17), St. Patrick wrote, “I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland… and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them… and I heard the voice of those very people [crying out]: “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.”
St. Patrick is part of a long line of saints who heard God’s call to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. In fact, many saints had a hunger for sharing the Gospel and a zeal for reaching out to those who do not experience a vital relationship with Jesus and the Church. This zeal drove some to dedicate their whole lives to “praying for the salvation of souls” in a cloistered life. Others, like St. Patrick, relied on God, in prayer, to send them out to certain people and places, where they could share faith.
Today we have different ways of talking about the kind of prayer that ignites spiritual compassion and new zeal for bringing others to Jesus. “We call it ‘evangelizing prayer’ because it allows Jesus to shape our hearts and grant us a greater sensitivity to the spiritual needs of others. (First of all), the simplest way to enter into the gift of evangelizing prayer is to ask for the grace to see someone from God’s point of view. (Second), evangelizing prayer is (also) the foundation for trusting in the Holy Spirit as the source of all holiness and transformation in ourselves and in others. (Third), through this kind of prayer, we are made more effective signs of God’s presence. And finally, in prayer, the Spirit gives us a new vision for God’s dynamic intervention in our daily lives and in the lives of others.” (excerpt from Sharing the Faith That You Love).
St. Patrick, pray for us, that Jesus might give us new zeal for the Gospel and new ears for the voice of the Holy Spirit, who sends us forth as evangelizers. Help us surrender to God’s gift of spiritual compassion that was so plentiful in your own life. Then help us rejoice in all the ways that Jesus moves hearts and mind in our families, friends and acquaintances. Amen.