{"id":3603,"date":"2012-04-24T23:10:15","date_gmt":"2012-04-25T05:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/?p=3603"},"modified":"2012-05-11T21:10:57","modified_gmt":"2012-05-12T03:10:57","slug":"in-evangelization-its-god-who-first-reaches-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/24\/in-evangelization-its-god-who-first-reaches-out\/","title":{"rendered":"In Evangelization, It’s God Who First Reaches Out"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Olivia Hussey as Mary in "Jesus of Nazareth"<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s hard to reach people outside the Church with the message of Christ.<\/p>\n

But that’s the\u00a0people you’re supposed to reach with evangelization!<\/p>\n

Most\u00a0people that start in the RCIA (the process for joining the Church) already know something about Catholicism.<\/p>\n

But, they’re the brave ones–the 20% with enough gumption to walk through the doors.<\/p>\n

There’s probably another 80% that have questions but aren’t ready to take that step.<\/p>\n

However, like God, we have to find ways to reach out to\u00a0people that need a nudge in the right direction. And, I was convicted of this recently by watching the old movie Jesus of Nazareth<\/em>.
\n<\/p>\n

Olivia Hussey and\u00a0the Magnificat Scene<\/h2>\n

I just got Jesus of Nazareth<\/em> as a gift last week from an RCIA candidate.\u00a0So I started watching it\u00a0with my kids.\u00a0I forgot how powerful it was. The cinematography is incredible.<\/p>\n

First of all, Olivia Hussey has to be the greatest Mary ever.\u00a0She’s so stunningly beautiful and pure looking. She just looks the part! I like to think that Mary really did look exactly like Olivia Hussey.\u00a0But even better!<\/p>\n

My absolute favorite scene is when Mary visits Elizabeth–the Magnificat scene.\u00a0It is so powerful.<\/p>\n

Click here to watch the scene<\/a><\/p>\n

Notice how, around the middle of the scene, the camera shifts from front-on head shots of Mary and Elizabeth to a wide shot. You see them both from farther away and they are framed by the two arches in\u00a0the background.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mary visits Elizabeth in Jesus of Nazareth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It reminds me of Fra Angelico’s painting of the Annunciation. The Angel Gabriel (on the left)\u00a0and Mary (on the right) are similarly framed by two arches.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Fra Angelico's Annunciation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s like the arches separate the divine from the human. Each has a separate space and they don’t connect. They’re quarantined off from each other.<\/p>\n

But see how the angel leans in toward Mary? He takes the initiative\u00a0to close the distance.<\/p>\n

The angel is lower than Mary as well and she holds her stomach. The Incarnation must have just happened and Gabriel bows in reverence to\u00a0the presence of God in Mary’s womb.<\/p>\n

Mary reaches out first<\/h2>\n

In the Jesus of Nazareth scene, it’s now Mary on the left and Elizabeth on the right. They’re also separated by the arches.<\/p>\n

However, Mary is the representative of the divine now.\u00a0Like the angel before, she’s bringing God’s presence into this home, this world.<\/p>\n

And Elizabeth kneels, making herself lower than Mary to acknowledge the divine inside her.<\/p>\n

Then, at the end of the scene, Mary takes the initiative. She bridges\u00a0the gap. She moves from the separation of her arch and reaches out to Elizabeth.<\/p>\n

God reaches out first<\/h2>\n

In watching this scene, it struck me that it’s God who first takes the initiative. It’s God who first reaches out to us.<\/p>\n

We were quarantined off from God by sin. The divine and the human each had their separate places, so to speak, and the two were not connected.<\/p>\n

To save this sin-ravaged creation, God bridged the gap by becoming one of us. He moved into our separation to free us from it and connect us to himself.<\/p>\n

God first became Incarnate in Mary and she brought him to Elizabeth…and then to the world.<\/p>\n

Take the initiative and reach out first<\/h2>\n

We in turn hold the presence of\u00a0Christ in our souls through Baptism and\u00a0the Eucharist. Christ indwells us and as baptized\u00a0Christians, we’re called to bring him out into\u00a0the world.<\/p>\n

Taking the initiative, like God and Mary, it’s\u00a0our job to bridge\u00a0the gap, to close the distance with those who haven’t yet encountered his presence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s hard to reach out and evangelize, but that’s the example God gives us. 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