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As we enter Holy Week, we prepare for the Triduum, during which we will participate in the liturgical cycle of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. At this particular time of year, the Church commemorates the culminating event of Christ’s earthly life. It is an event that happened over two thousand years ago, and an event that occurs daily in the Sacrifice of the Mass, and in our own lives. These events are the launching point for the Good News, first discovered by Mary Magdalene at the Empty Tomb. Christ died for us, but He is not dead—He is Risen. Though we will experience the Passion and Death of Christ this Holy Week, we will conclude the Triduum with the renewed realization that we believe in a Risen Lord. This is indeed cause for hope and for joy, but it also leads to the further realization that we have a responsibility to share this Good News with others!
St. John Paul II identifies this responsibility, particularly in relation to the role of the University, when he says, “The primary mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel in such a way that a relationship between faith and life is established in each individual and in the sociocultural context in which individuals live and act and communicate with one another.” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 41) There is a vignette in Chapter 18 of the Acts of the Apostles that beautifully illustrates an early example of such an evangelical approach—one rooted in work and cultural engagement. It says of St. Paul: “After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla…And he went to see them; and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and they worked, for by trade they were tentmakers.” (Acts 18:1-4) Perhaps what might seem like an irrelevant detail, “by trade they were tentmakers” was in fact a point of encounter between St. Paul and his hosts, which allowed him to share the Gospel with them and helped them discover the supernatural dimension of their shared profession. Later on, they in turn relied on what they had learned from St. Paul to provide catechetical guidance and redirection to Apollos, who spoke eloquently about Jesus, but “knew only the baptism of John.” (Acts 18:25)
While the times are different, it seems that St. Paul’s strategy toward evangelization can still be employed today. By offering education in multiple disciplines, rooted in the truth of Catholic teaching, Catholic International University hopes to form evangelizers who, like St. Paul, can use their expertise in their respective fields as a pathway to engage the broader culture. In this way, graduates and students of Catholic International University are evangelizing and bringing “the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within.” (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 48)
At the same time, as we undertake this work of evangelization, we must not forget that St. Paul was fearless and tireless in his mission to spread the Gospel. St. John Paul II likewise says that we must be “credible evangelizers, whose lives, in communion with the Cross and Resurrection of Christ, radiate the beauty of the Gospel.” (Ecclesia in Europa, 49) With these words in mind, I hope and pray that this Holy Week is a time of deeper communion in these mysteries for everyone at Catholic International University and for all who support the University’s mission. It is also my prayer that we may be transformed to more boldly and tirelessly radiate the Gospel through our respective fields of work and engagement. May you and your families have a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter!
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