Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” John 3:1-3

I used to evangelize to random people in the streets. It sounds strange for me to say it now. It is strange even to imagine that this was ever true. Alas, it was so. I never felt comfortable doing it. I never listened to my reticence. Instead I thought that perhaps I was being too embarrassed about the gospel. I summoned up all my courage and approached a complete stranger. It would begin with a casual conversation and then I would conduce my interlocutor to the topic of being “born again”. Most people were kind and obliging. They would listen and sometimes they would contribute to the conversation. Most of the time, I was the one talking. Then I went back to church and reported that I accomplished something significant. However, now I am questioning myself. Maybe I was just abusing the good nature of many people. They sensed my sincerity and they kindly accommodated me. Today, I see people going around the streets doing the same thing as I did before. There is a difference now. Now, I am aware that the questions dealing with our spirituality are very personal and intimate. They touch the very core of our existence. It is not something an healthy person should discuss with a random stranger. It must be handled with great care and sensitivity. When someone opens up their souls to us regarding their deepest inner struggles or doubts, it demands a commitment on our part. We need to understand that they are inviting us into a sacred place. Unless, we are willing to commit, we should perhaps think twice before we talk about God. Evangelism is not about spouting out religious jargon. It is a relationship.

The gospel text above is perhaps the first recorded incident of an evangelistic conversation. The setting is one which is private and intimate. Nicodemus was a religious man in the positive sense. He genuinely desired to know God. This is why he sought Jesus. He discovered something remarkable in Him that made him feel comfortable to share the concerns of his innermost being. He perceived that Jesus presented something new and vibrant. He desired what Jesus possessed. However, he wanted a religious answer from our Lord. He thought that it was a matter of following certain doctrines and rituals. This is the very essence of our human spirituality. We desire a deeper spiritual life but we want it to be something that we can control. However, whatever Jesus is offering is beyond our dominion. We cannot demand it. We cannot attain it through our religiosity. It comes to us as the Holy Spirit desires. It is given to us through grace.

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

It is not something that happens with our words or rituals. An excellent preacher is not going to make the Holy Spirit act. This is something as a young Christian I knew intuitively and yet rejected in practice. I believed that my persuasive words could bring about an inner change in someone. I reduced everything to a simple prayer which I desired my interlocutor to pray. However, a prayer is not going to force the Holy Spirit to transform souls. God’s spirit will decide the right time and place to bring new birth to a person’s soul. Nicodemus was amenable to become part of this creation. He spoke to the very Person who ushered this New Era and even then, Nicodemus had to wait. Something needed to occur in his soul. We will never know what exactly. It is different with each person. We know that Nicodemus did not become a follower of Jesus there and then. It was just not his time. However, the Holy Spirit was working in him, if not, he wouldn’t have come to see Jesus. On our Lord’s part, He allowed the Holy Spirit to do His work in Nicodemus’ life. He did not force him to say a prayer or subject him to some religious rite to hasten the process.

There was something special in Jesus that drew Nicodemus to Him. In the Gospels, the authors call this authority. Unlike the authorities of the world which generate fear or demand submission, Jesus attracted people unto Himself. People who would normally be rejected by the religious and civil powers flocked to our Lord. Something was different in Him, or rather, He saw something special in them. They sensed this in their souls. Jesus was able to penetrate into their deepest being and perceived the Temple of God present in each of their souls.

I recently learned the meaning of a word that I thought I knew all my adult life. I used it frequently in my writings without really understanding its essence. The word is “contemplation”. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it means “entering into the temple”. Whenever we contemplate on something or someone, we are going beyond the superficial and discovering the divine manifested in the person or object. This simple discovery I made has given me new vocabulary for my understanding of evangelism. I used to feel embarrassed to share the gospel to people because I was trying to construct a temple in their souls with my words. It is not my place to do this in anyone’s soul. However, I have had encounters where I was able to talk meaningfully about God’s love where there was a sense of mutual spiritual edification. In these instances, I first recognized the presence of the divine in the person and consequently, the person opened up the conversation to the subject of God’s love.

When Jesus spoke to people, His words quickened in their souls the awareness of a temple present in them. Jesus saw it first before he could address it. If I want to speak the gospel into the lives of people, then I need to contemplate God’s presence in the lives of our children. In a way, I have been inadvertently doing it. I am able to see the divine present in them which has been a great source of encouragement and renewal for me. However, sometimes we meet someone who is so distraught and damaged by the circumstances of their lives that it is hard to see beyond the superficial. Rosalie is a perfect example of such. Recently we shared about her with our friends. A very serious question was posed, “How do you communicate the gospel to someone like her?” I did not have a certain answer then. However, this week, she gave us a glimpse of one.

She came out of the Cathedral looking a little relieved and animated. This is quite rare for this young adult. She suffers from array of issues and mental illness is definitely one of them. Consequently, she is constantly vacillates between violent outbursts of anger and profound sadness. Almost everyone knows that she has to deal with some profound challenges and most of the teens are tender towards her, albeit there are a few who torment her too. She seldom converses with us. In fact, most of the time she just flat-out ignores us. However, recently she complained to Mary that we never give her any attention. She is definitely not an easy person. Despite this, we do feel strongly for this young woman. She is a lost and lonely soul in this harsh world. She has become someone that most likely she never desired to be. Her circumstances and situations have shaped her personality. Today, however, she looked relieved as she stepped out fo the church. She came out and told us that she prayed the rosary. She explained how it was said to Mary and then asked her if she ever prayed the Rosary. Mary admitted that it was not part of her spirituality but told her that I did it once in a while. Rosalie just wanted to tell us this and then she left. The rest of the week she fluctuated between anger and tears.

There are so many things happening in Rosalie that it is hard to see the temple pf God dwelling in her. We are always left astounded by what is happening on the outside. However, we will never been able to say something meaningful to her until we are able to see the divine present in her life. This cannot be achieved in a single encounter. It will happen when the Holy Spirit moves. Until then, there is one thing for us to do. We will: learn to contemplate on her life. The Temple of God dwells in her and the Holy Spirit will open the doors for us to see the beauty of this young woman. Then she will be ready to receive or even listen to us. All this will happen one day when the Holy Spirit decides. Until then we wait.