“The New Evangelization”, initiated by Blessed John Paul II, is described by the US Conference of Bishops as a “call to each of us to deepen our faith, believe in the Gospel message, and go forth to proclaim the Gospel, especially to those who have experienced a serious crisis of faith due to secularization.” The church can effectively proclaim the Gospel only if each of us does his or her part. Pope Francis, in a recent homily, names the chief obstacle to evangelization as our desire for comfort. Evangelization is not comfortable. It requires the effort of deepening our faith and the sacrifice of time and energy in reaching out to people beyond our circle of family and friends. As we approach the feast of Pentecost, we of Sts. Mary and Joseph might ask God for greater zeal in responding to the Church’s call. Pope Francis exhorts, “The Holy Spirit always moves the Church forward; however we often respond by saying, ‘Don’t bother us.’ We want to ‘tame’ the Holy Spirit, but that doesn’t work because He is God. The Holy Spirit is the wind that comes and goes, from we know not where, to move us forward. But the idea of going forward is often what bothers us, because we want to remain comfortable. In our personal lives we resist the Holy Spirit when He pushes us to take a more evangelical path. Do not resist the Holy Spirit! The grace I wish that all of us would ask of the Lord is docility to the Holy Spirit!”