The Gospel passage this weekend tells the story of Jesus' sending out the twelve apostles to preach the “good news” of repentance, forgiveness of sins, liberation and salvation through Jesus. Whew! That’s a tall task. And curiously, Jesus instructed them as follows before they set out on the road: they should take nothing for the journey except a walking stick…no food, no money, no extra clothes…nada! They were, however, to be walking illustrations of God’s love and care in action. And they were told to preach in a certain way, emphasizing repentance --a change of heart and a change of action—and, hopefully, Jesus’ hope was that they would move people from a self-centered life to a God-centered life. Every time we hear this Gospel passage, we should put ourselves in the place of the disciples. Jesus is not asking us to set out in a tunic, sandals and a walking stick for downtown Troy. BUT, just as really, at the end of every liturgy, He sends us out to preach His word (by the way we live our lives) in our homes, in our workplaces, and in our everyday encounters with people we don’t even know. So, WE are also called to be witnessing disciples and evangelizing apostles. As witnessing disciples, we need to follow Jesus, imitate him, reflect him, and radiate Him with a happy heart and a grateful spirit. As apostles, we need to evangelize the world by sharing with others our experience of Jesus, living the Gospel, and expressing the love, mercy, and compassion of Jesus to the people around us. How do we do this? We do not have to commit a “verbal assault” on people with our convictions. A simple invitation (tap on the shoulder, an invitation to a parish function, a smile and a “Hi” etc.) offered out of a loving and joyful heart is the most powerful, evangelistic message of all. I believe this! The personal touch and invitation is the best type of evangelization. Have you reached out lately…or are you timid about sharing your faith? Think on the following story and ask yourself how strongly you really believe… A prison chaplain went to talk with a man sentenced to die in the electric chair. He urged him to believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized; that forgiveness and eternity with God awaited him if only he would turn towards God. The prisoner said, "Do you really believe that?" "Of course I do," replied the chaplain. "Go on," scoffed the prisoner. "If I believed that I would crawl on my hands and knees over broken glass to tell others, but I don't see you Christians making any big thing of it!" He had a point. This story has a strong message for us all! How do we get the Gospel out...by taking it with us when we go…and by not being afraid to speak about how Jesus has changed our life! Are you up to the case? “Gospel Question for the Week”: If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?