THOSE in the business of marketing consumer products know well that
they have to do repacking and retailing to make sure their goods reach
the end-users. That’s why we have shampoos and catsup, for example, in
sachets, and food products reduced to bite size for easier
accessibility.
And they organize an ever-growing network of outlets and agents and
sellers, classifying their market into different segments and coming
up with appropriate plans and strategies.
They continually monitor market trends and adjust their products,
their pricing and marketing plans accordingly. They invest a lot on
advertising and packaging that trigger the impulse to buy. Marketing
campaigns are launched, employing gimmicks and celebrity endorsers, to
promote the products.
More or less, we need to do the same with our Christian doctrine that
is even more important than any of these consumer products. We need to
repack and retail it as widely as possible, making use of whatever
technique and strategy that can effectively bring it to the equivalent
of the market end-users.
We should not be averse to make use of secular ways of doing things to
promote the things of God meant for our spiritual health and apostolic
vitality. Let’s remember the parable of the dishonest steward who was
praised by Christ not because of his dishonesty, but because of his
resourcefulness. (cfr Lk 16)
In short, whatever is useful for this purpose, even if mixed with some
bad elements, should be welcomed and availed of, with prudence, of
course, and with the view of cleaning up and purifying the system,
since as the same parable reminded us, we cannot serve two masters. We
cannot serve both God and mammon.
In this concern about our Christian doctrine, we have to realize that
all of us should be involved in all the stages of the process. We all
are both sellers and buyers, producers and consumers, makers and users
of the Christian doctrine. But everyone under the guidance of the
Spirit through the Church.
This is, of course, the ideal situation. To reach it involves a
dynamics whose mechanism we should know increasingly well, so each one
of us can act properly.
We have to learn the art of how to deal with evil which is unavoidable
in the world. A certain tolerance and even cooperation with it—for
sure, only material and passive, never formal, intentional and
active—can be expected. In this world, we should not presume to be
squeaky clean all the time. We can’t avoid getting dirty sometimes.
In this regard, the model to follow is Christ himself. The very
creator of the world, the source and pattern of everything that is
true, good and beautiful, becomes man and assumed our weakened human
condition to save us. As St. Paul once said, Christ made himself like
sin without falling into sin.
He fraternized with the weak and the lost. He adjusted his ways to the
wounded condition of our humanity. His preaching was constant and
keyed to the level of the people, making use of parables, images and
other literary devices familiar to the hearers.
We have to have the mind and attitude of Christ with regard to
spreading the doctrine of our faith. We have to preach and spread it
widely, in season and out of season, obeying Christ’s command to his
apostles just before he went up to heaven to go, teach all nations…
(cfr Mt 28,19)
Wherever we are, we should feel the urge to communicate the saving
doctrine of Christ, knowing how to deal and communicate with everyone,
no matter how different they are from us.
We have to learn how to repack and retail the doctrine of Christ,
arming ourselves first of all with the proper attitude and
disposition, then with the appropriate skills.
The lofty, sublime, spiritual and supernatural truths of our faith
should be brought down to the ground level so they can be appreciated
and followed by everyone. If some sing-and-dance routine would be
needed or would be appropriate in a given situation, we should not shy
away from doing it.
We have to learn to appeal to all kinds of people—the young and the
old, the intellectuals and manual workers, those engaged in some
rocket science as well as those selling peanuts in the streets. In
short, everyone.
Since we always are in need of some strategy, and therefore some
selection and prioritization are unavoidable, we should not forget
that our basic concern is to reach everyone.
With abiding prayer and continuous effort to identify ourselves with
Christ, we can manage to do this seemingly impossible task.
they have to do repacking and retailing to make sure their goods reach
the end-users. That’s why we have shampoos and catsup, for example, in
sachets, and food products reduced to bite size for easier
accessibility.
And they organize an ever-growing network of outlets and agents and
sellers, classifying their market into different segments and coming
up with appropriate plans and strategies.
They continually monitor market trends and adjust their products,
their pricing and marketing plans accordingly. They invest a lot on
advertising and packaging that trigger the impulse to buy. Marketing
campaigns are launched, employing gimmicks and celebrity endorsers, to
promote the products.
More or less, we need to do the same with our Christian doctrine that
is even more important than any of these consumer products. We need to
repack and retail it as widely as possible, making use of whatever
technique and strategy that can effectively bring it to the equivalent
of the market end-users.
We should not be averse to make use of secular ways of doing things to
promote the things of God meant for our spiritual health and apostolic
vitality. Let’s remember the parable of the dishonest steward who was
praised by Christ not because of his dishonesty, but because of his
resourcefulness. (cfr Lk 16)
In short, whatever is useful for this purpose, even if mixed with some
bad elements, should be welcomed and availed of, with prudence, of
course, and with the view of cleaning up and purifying the system,
since as the same parable reminded us, we cannot serve two masters. We
cannot serve both God and mammon.
In this concern about our Christian doctrine, we have to realize that
all of us should be involved in all the stages of the process. We all
are both sellers and buyers, producers and consumers, makers and users
of the Christian doctrine. But everyone under the guidance of the
Spirit through the Church.
This is, of course, the ideal situation. To reach it involves a
dynamics whose mechanism we should know increasingly well, so each one
of us can act properly.
We have to learn the art of how to deal with evil which is unavoidable
in the world. A certain tolerance and even cooperation with it—for
sure, only material and passive, never formal, intentional and
active—can be expected. In this world, we should not presume to be
squeaky clean all the time. We can’t avoid getting dirty sometimes.
In this regard, the model to follow is Christ himself. The very
creator of the world, the source and pattern of everything that is
true, good and beautiful, becomes man and assumed our weakened human
condition to save us. As St. Paul once said, Christ made himself like
sin without falling into sin.
He fraternized with the weak and the lost. He adjusted his ways to the
wounded condition of our humanity. His preaching was constant and
keyed to the level of the people, making use of parables, images and
other literary devices familiar to the hearers.
We have to have the mind and attitude of Christ with regard to
spreading the doctrine of our faith. We have to preach and spread it
widely, in season and out of season, obeying Christ’s command to his
apostles just before he went up to heaven to go, teach all nations…
(cfr Mt 28,19)
Wherever we are, we should feel the urge to communicate the saving
doctrine of Christ, knowing how to deal and communicate with everyone,
no matter how different they are from us.
We have to learn how to repack and retail the doctrine of Christ,
arming ourselves first of all with the proper attitude and
disposition, then with the appropriate skills.
The lofty, sublime, spiritual and supernatural truths of our faith
should be brought down to the ground level so they can be appreciated
and followed by everyone. If some sing-and-dance routine would be
needed or would be appropriate in a given situation, we should not shy
away from doing it.
We have to learn to appeal to all kinds of people—the young and the
old, the intellectuals and manual workers, those engaged in some
rocket science as well as those selling peanuts in the streets. In
short, everyone.
Since we always are in need of some strategy, and therefore some
selection and prioritization are unavoidable, we should not forget
that our basic concern is to reach everyone.
With abiding prayer and continuous effort to identify ourselves with
Christ, we can manage to do this seemingly impossible task.
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