Friday, October 10, 2025
Feast of Saint Daniel Comboni
My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
Welcome to week forty-one of BMW, Be My Witnesses. We are now ready once again to go forth as witnesses of Jesus Christ and to proclaim the Kingdom of God not just by words but by deeds.
Mission: Proclaim the Kingdom of God by Deeds
Pope Saint Paul VI (1897 – 1978) captured this theme the best in his encyclical, Evangelii nuntiandi (article #41): “Without repeating everything that we have already mentioned, it is appropriate first of all to emphasize the following point: for the Church, the first means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life, given over to God in a communion that nothing should destroy and at the same time given to one's neighbor with limitless zeal. As we said recently to a group of lay people, ‘Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.’ Saint Peter expressed this well when he held up the example of a reverent and chaste life that wins over even without a word those who refuse to obey the word. It is therefore primarily by her conduct and by her life that the Church will evangelize the world, in other words, by her living witness of fidelity to the Lord Jesus -- the witness of poverty and detachment, of freedom in the face of the powers of this world, in short, the witness of sanctity.”
Saint Peter wrote his first letter to a struggling church in present day north-central Turkey. It was a church of poor, slaves, probably largely female. They valued their new Christian faith because the Church valued them unlike the surrounding society which considered them of no value. That is why Peter urged the women to be subject to their husband and perhaps to win them over “without a word” but “by their…conduct” (I Peter 3:1). Still, Peter urged his readers to be ready to use their voices: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (I Peter 3:15).
This is the delicate balance we must seek. Of course, we should never be shy of doing the right thing, of being Christ to someone else. On the other hand, we should always be ready to give the “reason for our hope.”
My Weekly Challenge
So, that will be the challenge for this week. Think of a good deed that you can do, preferably with your colleague in ministry. Then, before actually doing this deed, let the two of you try to articulate to each other why you do this. Express to each other the reason for your hope. It need not be complicated. In fact, it can be a rather simple statement of faith. Then move ahead with your kindness and pray that there will be an occasion for you to be able to express that faith.
Until next week, may God Bless you.
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
P.S. Here is a video version of this week's Be My Witnesses. Please do share with friends and family. Thank you.