Fr. Roy with Evangelical Smile

Today when I was standing in the lobby of the library passing out flyers about the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday while others stood and prayed, I notice that I was able to keep a consistent smile on my face. This is despite the fact that many students and faculty came by and rejected my offer of a flyer; some saying ‘No thank you’ and many just ignored my presence.

My smile reminded me of a person I worked with many years ago on a garden in the central city. We worked with the many kids of the block which was known as Gingerbread Land. Although working with youth on a garden can have its high points and low points this person always had the same smile on his face. He was a devout member of a large non denominational church and somehow I associated his smile with his evangelism. It was a little phony to me since the smile went unchanged and I figured no one can be feeling like smiling all the time.

However, today when I was smiling when persons took the flyer or rejected them I understood the smile came from a deep sense inside that I was doing the right thing and acceptance or rejection did not matter. I think my experience in Washington D.C. with people of peace from all over the world helped me understand this smile.

Lasts weekend I was with Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOAWatch who has been rejected by the Catholic Church and his own religious order, Maryknoll, of 44 years. Yet he talked about keeping a sense of humor and always had a smile on his face.

I call it the “Evangelical Smile.”

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