In today’s gospel (Luke 10:1-12,17-20) we hear Jesus instructing his disciples to go out and preach the good news that Jesus himself was announcing – that our God is a loving, patient, and forgiving God who invites us into a personal relationship with him and desires that we share in his life.

And today we honor Elie Wiesel who passed away yesterday.  Wiesel was a holocaust survivor whose harrowing experience led him to embrace the role of champion for the oppressed and defender of human rights.

In many regards, Mr. Wiesel’s adult life was that of an evangelizer.  In fact, in presenting Mr. Wiesel with the Nobel Peace Prize, The Nobel Prize Committee called Mr. Wiesel a “messenger to mankind” who through his own personal struggles was able to deliver a message of peace, atonement, reconciliation and human dignity to all those who would listen – a “spiritual leader and guide” in an age of extreme violence, repression and racism.  In many regards, Wiesel, in his quest for peace and justice for all, was extending the mission that Jesus announced.

Here was an orphaned teenager plucked by God from the ashes of Hitler’s death camps who went on to become one of the most prominent voices for peace and justice in recent history.  Here was a man who would not allow himself to ever forget the horrific events that he and many others suffered.  Rather, he used that memory to fuel his passion as an advocate against evil. Here was a man chosen by God to preach love, justice and peace – a man who the NY Times characterized as a “singular moral voice” and an “eloquent witness” to the injustices of our world.  Here was a man who, as President Obama eulogized “raised his voice against hatred, bigotry and intolerance in all its forms and implored all of us to do the same”.

Today we celebrate the life of Elie Wiesel – holocaust survivor, defender of human rights, champion for peace and justice.

But we also celebrate ourselves, because, just like Mr. Wiesel, we are also chosen by God to evangelize, to provide witness, to help all those we encounter to experience God’s love, to fight for peace, justice, and the God-given rights of all.

And maybe the best way for us to help achieve this is to imitate Jesus – to treat all those we encounter with kindness and compassion, to look after the underprivileged, to assist those who suffer from physical, emotional or spiritual illness, to be tolerant of other opinions and lifestyles, to invite all those we encounter – even those different than us – into relationship, to forgive those who betray us, to help bring justice to the oppressed, and peace to those whose lives are in disarray.

And this evangelizing mission is meant for all of us – no matter what our station in life, no matter what situation we find ourself in.  God plucked that teenage boy out of the ashes to become a towering figure in our world.  It can happen to any of us if God wills it.

Elie Wiesel once said “I have to be self-conscious of what I am called to do with my life”.  It is the same for us.  We must be self-conscious.  We must be attentive.  We must listen for God’s prompting.  We must allow God’s Spirit to fill us and empower us to do God’s will.