Witnessing in a Secular World - Auspice Maria Ep. 16 with Bishop James Ruggieri
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Transcript:
Welcome back to the Auspice Maria podcast. I'm Bishop James Ruggieri of the Diocese of Portland in Maine, and it is a real joy to be with you again.
In this series, we have been reflecting on the mission of the Church: to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to help lead people into communion with Christ, and to build the kingdom of God here and now in the Spirit. Also, practically trying to apply this mission to our own faith lives, how we live our faith in the world today, how we bring Christ into every corner of life, and how we proclaim the gospel with our words and our lives.
In an earlier podcast, I spent some time reflecting on evangelizing culture. I asked a very important question: what is culture? And through that podcast, we saw that culture is not just food or music or art. Though those things matter, culture is the shared story people tell about what gives life meaning. It is the soil in which values grow. It is how human beings express their dignity and hand on meaning to the next generation.
We also reflected on the example of St. Francis of Assisi. He did not run away from his culture. He stayed. He lived the gospel in the middle of it. And by his witness — simple, joyful, radical — he transformed it. This is a lesson for us today.
Because here is the reality: many of us feel the weight of living in a secular world, a world that often ignores God, sometimes rejects Him outright, and at times seems hostile to the faith. So the question is, how do we live our Catholic faith joyfully and boldly in such a world? That is what we are going to explore today in this episode, Witnessing in a Secular World.
I'd like to invite the Holy Spirit again to lead forward this podcast. May the Spirit of the Living God inspire us and lead us forward in faith as we expound on this theme of witnessing in a secular world.
When we think about evangelization, we might first think of arguments, catechism classes, or homilies. These are all important, but none of them bear fruit without joy. St. Paul tells us in Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 to 25:
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit."
Notice in this passage from Galatians 5 how St. Paul places joy at the heart of the Christian life. Joy is not optional. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.
But we need to be clear: joy is not the same as pleasure. It is not the same as feeling always happy. Pleasure can fade. Happiness can be fleeting. Joy is something deeper. It comes from knowing who we are and whose we are. It really flows from the Spirit alive in us.
At a morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta, the late Pope Francis said in 2016: “A Christian is a man or a woman of joy. There is no Christian without joy. They say they are, but they are not. They are missing something.”
Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta offers a very interesting word, a notable quote about joy: “Joy is prayer. Joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”
And if we think about the saints, what is one of the things that attracts us to them? In the majority of cases, it is their joy. Back to Mother Teresa: she lived among the poorest of the poor, but she radiated joy. St. John Paul II, even while battling illness in the latter part of his life, radiated joy.
Joy is compelling. Joy is contagious. Joy is the mark of a Christian alive in the Spirit.
So this really leads to the deeper question: where does joy come from? What is the source of our joy?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 1695 teaches:
" Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God, sanctified and called to be saints, Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit of the Son teaches them to pray to the Father, and having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear the fruit of the Spirit by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation. He enlightens us to live as children of light through all that is good and right and true.
What does this mean? It means that the Holy Spirit is not a distant power. The Spirit is God dwelling within us. By baptism, we have become temples of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is our life. The Spirit heals us, transforms us, and strengthens us. The Spirit produces fruit in us. And one of those fruits is joy.
That is why Christian joy is not based on circumstances. We may face hardship, we may face ridicule, we may and will face suffering, but our joy remains because it is not rooted in ourselves—it is rooted in the Spirit of God alive in us.
At this point, it is important to pause and ask: who exactly is the Holy Spirit?
The Catechism teaches that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Blessed Trinity, fully God, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. The Spirit is not a mere force or energy. The Spirit is the Divine Person who proceeds from the love of the Father and the Son.
In paragraph number 685, the Catechism teaches: to believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess that the Holy Spirit is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity, consubstantial with the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshipped and glorified.
The Spirit has been at work from the beginning: present at creation, inspiring the prophets, overshadowing Mary at the Annunciation, descending at Jesus' baptism, and poured out at Pentecost upon the Church.
Again, back to the Catechism, paragraph number 683, which cites Galatians 4:6 and 1 Corinthians 12:3:
"No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.” This knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit. To be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit"
So who is the Spirit? The Spirit reveals Christ to us. The Spirit draws us into communion with the Father. The Spirit fills us with gifts, produces fruit in us, and makes us holy. This is why joy is so central. Joy is not simply a mood. It is the visible sign that the Spirit is alive in us.
Jesus speaks of this joy in John's Gospel, chapter 4, verse 14, in his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus says, “Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst. The water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The living water is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit wells up within us like a spring.
Think of the Samaritan woman. She came to the well burdened by shame and isolation. She went in the heat of the day so she would not meet others. After encountering Christ, she left her water jar behind and ran into the town. She became a witness.
Her encounter with Jesus produced joy. That joy made her a missionary. And notice, her joy was not theoretical. It was visible. She ran to share the news.
So too with us. When the Spirit dwells in us, when Christ fills our hearts, joy wells up. It cannot be hidden. It is not a performance. It is a spring of living water that flows naturally.
Now we ask: how do we live this joy as witnesses in the secular world?
First, by resisting the temptation to mirror the world's anger. The culture around us is often marked by cynicism, sarcasm, division, and despair. If we Christians respond in kind, we have nothing different to offer. If we respond with joy, peace, and gentleness, we show another way. Joy itself becomes a witness.
Second, by building community. Joy is never solitary. It draws people together. Those who live by the Spirit are community builders. They forgive, they reconcile, they welcome. In a world fragmented by isolation, the joyful Christian becomes a center of communion.
Third, by celebrating beauty. Joy expresses itself in art, in music, in celebration. Think of the joy that radiates from a wedding feast, from a parish festival, from children singing at Mass. Beauty evangelizes. Joy opens hearts.
I want to now speak directly to young people. I know, my dear young people, that you face real challenges in living the faith today. You are surrounded by messages that dismiss God, that mock belief, that call faith old-fashioned. Sometimes you may feel alone in standing for the Gospel.
But please remember this: you are never alone. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. The Spirit makes you strong. The Spirit fills you with joy.
My dear young people, the Church needs you. We need your creativity, your courage, your ability to see things freshly. We need your joy. So here's my question for you: when your friends see you, when your classmates are with you, do they notice a difference? Do they see someone genuine, authentic, and joyful? Does your life make them curious about the faith that sustains you? That is your greatest witness.
You may not have all the answers to every question, but if you live with joy, you will point others to Christ.
Let me now offer some practical ways to live joyfully in daily life.
At home, consider creating a culture of gratitude. Begin the day with a simple prayer of thanks. End the day with a blessing. Gratitude opens the door to joy.
At work, be the one who encourages, who uplifts, who listens. Refuse to join in gossip or negativity. Let your calm and kindness be a sign of the Spirit.
In parish life, welcome others. Smile. Sing at Mass with conviction. Show by your demeanor that the Eucharist is not a burden, not an obligation, but a gift.
In service, joy grows when we give ourselves away. Visit the elderly. Defend the unborn. Help at a food pantry. Joy is multiplied when it is shared.
Online, be very discerning in your internet and social media use. Do not add to division. Share what builds up. Resist the temptation to tear down—it’s so prevalent. In a digital world filled with anger, a joyful, gentle presence is powerful.
These may seem small. They are not. They bend the culture toward Christ. They evangelize not by words alone, but by a way of life.
Let us bring this together now as we prepare to conclude.
To witness in a secular world is not to fight endlessly or to retreat in fear. It is to live joyfully in the Spirit. The Catechism reminds us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul reminds us that joy is the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus tells us that the Spirit is living water, welling up to eternal life.
That is who we are. We are a people of joy. So do not be afraid of the secular world. Do not be discouraged by hostility. Be like Saint Francis, who faced the wolf not with violence but with the peace of Christ. Be like the Samaritan woman who ran to share the news. Be like the saints whose joy drew others to the Lord.
And I leave you with this question to ponder: if someone who does not believe were to watch your life this week, would they see in you enough joy to make them curious about Christ?
May the Spirit fill us with joy. May our lives be radiant with that joy. And may our joyful witness transform the world for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
I commend all of this again to the intercession of our Blessed Mother as we pray:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
