Invest and Invite

A homily by Deacon Dan McAuliffe

Today is the last of a brief series called Hooked: Followers Fish. Two weeks ago, we heard that Jesus called the first Apostles and promised that they would learn to bring people into a relationship with him. He used the metaphor of fishing for that activity: they would become fishers of men. When it comes to bringing people to Christ, we have to put aside our own fears, discomfort, and laziness. One of the ways we can do so is by having a very simple strategy: invest and invite.

Invest in friends, family members, and co-workers who are not connected to Christ and his Church, and, when appropriate, invite them to join us on a weekend. While not hard and fast, as a goal, we’re looking for you to invite (or better yet bring them yourself) at least one person to Mass on the First Sunday of Lent, March 10th.  Last week we looked at the reason to invite people into a relationship with Jesus. He is the only person who ever rose from the dead. And the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to anyone who has a relationship with Jesus. We invite people into a relationship with Jesus because He has the power to raise to life their dead dreams, their relationships, their dead hearts and souls. Jesus brings life.

Today we are going to look at three personal benefits of joining Jesus on a fishing expedition for another—why it is worth it to invest in evangelization for you personally. Luke mentions the first two benefits in today’s Gospel reading. The message is incredibly challenging: Jesus tells us to bless our
enemies and to give to people who ask us. Then he gives us the why behind the what. Jesus says, “Love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful
and the wicked. Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:35) The reward for loving our enemies is to become more like our heavenly Father, and it is the same reward when we share our faith and invite other people to know Christ and his Church. We grow to be more like God, who is merciful and compassionate. God loves his enemies. God saw the whole human race was opposing him, and it filled him with mercy and compassion—so much so that He sent his Son to die for you and me—for all of us. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) God didn’t wait for us to clean up our act before he sent his Son. When we invest and invite others, we are reminded of what God has already done for us. We are reminded that when we wanted nothing to do with God or opposed him in our actions, God didn’t get mad at us but instead he loved us. We are reminded that, even when we sin now, he responds with mercy and compassion. Investing and inviting not only reminds us of this but actually changes us to become more merciful and compassionate ourselves; our hearts soften and reflect the same compassion and mercy of God.

When we recognize that other people need a relationship with God and that their lives will be better with Christ, we grow in compassion and mercy and become more like our heavenly Father. Jesus goes on to say, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.” Luke 7:37  When we have compassion on people and work to bring them into a relationship with Christ, it keeps us from judging and condemning them. We trade judging them for the same compassion and mercy God has on them and has on us. The first benefit is that we are reminded of God’s mercy to us, and so we grow to be more merciful ourselves. The second benefit of sharing our faith comes in the next verse. Jesus says, “Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Luke 6:38 Our faith and trust in God grow as we share it with others. Jesus says give, and it will be given unto you. He then uses this image that would have familiar to first-century listeners. When they would go to the market to buy dry goods, such as grain or beans, they would put it into a pocket in their robe. Jesus uses the image of having dry goods pushed down and shaken so that the maximum amount they receive is the maximum amount that they can carry. Give, and it will be given unto you. Giving to others opens us up to receive more of God’s blessings. This is true in every aspect of life. It is true when it comes to our finances. It is true when it comes to showing mercy on people and not judging them, as Jesus teaches here. When we share our faith with others, our faith grows. We look more deeply at why our faith matters to us. We come to see, in a whole new way, the impact and difference Jesus has made in our own lives. Until we are willing to give it away to others, our faith will be stunted. Reason number three: sharing your faith with others connects your life to the highest mode of existence. There are three modes or approaches to life.


There is the goal of simply surviving. This is where you live your life to get through another day. You just want to pay the bills, have food on the table, a roof over your head, and have a little something for entertainment. Survival mode means you just work for the weekend and having a bit of fun, because we need some comfort and pleasure to live in this world, if we want to get through it. The second mode of existence is success. The success mode means you want to be a high achiever in whatever area of life you deem important. Success can mean having a very happy family or seeing your kids do well in school or sports. For some, success means material possessions and affluence—a big house, an expensive car, the finest things in life. For others, success means career achievement—making a name for yourself so that everyone in your industry or company respects you. It may mean climbing to the top of the ladder. Success is certainly better than surviving, but there is a higher mode of living.

That mode means looking to live a life of significance. This is where we look to have an impact for good on the world, to have our lives point to something beyond just us. Significance is so much more inspiring and brings so much more meaning to our lives than simply survival or success. Survival and success are good, but they don’t have the richness and the depth of significance. Think about it this way. Suppose tomorrow morning your boss calls a meeting of everybody and says, “What is most important about our organization is that you do your job so I keep my job. I am just trying not to get  fired, so please do your job.” Or the boss could come in and say, “The reason you all work here is to make me successful. It is all about my success and making me rich and famous.” Afterward you think: “What a jerk! I can’t believe he said that, even if it is true.”  Instead, what if the boss comes out and reminds you of the mission and purpose of the organization and the impact it makes in the community and how it changes peoples’ lives? He or she connects the dots so that you see how you are making a contribution for the good of your customer and for the overall betterment of the
world. Which of those three speeches is most inspiring, is going to motivate you to get out of bed in the morning, wanting to work hard at your job? Our lives are better when connected to something significant, something that transcends our wants and desires. To live and flourish, we must serve a mission greater than ourselves.

As a Church we have the most significant message there is: God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved Son. We communicate the God-given and eternal value and worth of people. It has implications not just for this world but into eternity. And the great thing about investing in and inviting people is that we can do it in our ordinary, everyday lives. Each of us should experience the significance of someone else coming to know God through our invitation. When we make time to connect people to Christ and his Church, we are joining in the mission of God, the almighty Creator and Savior. God wants people to know him personally and intimately. He invites us to help make that happen. Sharing your faith with people outside the Church adds significance to your life. You can see it right here at Saint Mary, as we try to reach out to people in our community, making an impact on their lives. Our pastor and I want you to feel that same significance that your invitation can make. We want you to be able to see that it was your investment, your invitation, that brought someone into a relationship with their Savior, a relationship that will last forever. Let’s go fishing for just one person and invite him or her to worship God with you here on the 10th of March.

God bless you always, and in all ways!