Presence means person to person!

I come from a political family and we know that we are nothing if we are not out there "asking for someone's vote"!   The candidate needs to ask and the voter needs to be asked.  No one in politics would ever discount the personal touch of campaigning.   At least, none of the winners would knock how important that personal touch is.

There is a story in today's newspaper about 125 Catholics in St. Louis being trained in the techniques of personal touch and then going out on a crusade door-to-door.  I enjoyed reading the story of why they were doing this and how important it was to the group to get out among the people.  Kenneth Livengood, a parishioner at Holy Trinity Parish in St. Ann, said:  "We've been tricked into thinking faith is a private matter.  That's a lie. Faith is meant to be public; and there are many ways to share it."  Many in the church reflect the attitude of the Rev. Stephen Bevans, professor of mission and culture at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, when he says that they have not done this much in the past because "There have been so many of us we haven't had to do it." 

Presence was instituted by the resurrected Christ in Matthew when Christ gives them what has become known as the "Great Commission"  --Go ye...and make new disciples, proclaiming to each of them the "Good News."  He didn't intend for his followers to hide their light under a bushel or keep it in the confines of one church address.   Presence means finding our particular way to meet each person where they are!