Jan 26 Sun
How can I spread the message of the Gospel?
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. We say this of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Word who is spirit and life. All his words, teachings during his public life, the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, his parables, and especially his New Law of Love, are “Spirit and life.”
Spirit means breath, as in the air we breathe in and out, without which we could not live more than a few minutes.
Spirit means the immortal, rational soul which is the principle of our bodily lives.
Spirit also means the Holy Spirit who renews us, making us children of God and heirs of eternal life—not just life now, but life forever.
The Holy Spirit also makes the diversity of believers into the one body of Christ. The Holy Spirit creates the “assembly” of God, the Church. Recall the assembly of Israel under Ezra and Moses. The Hebrew word for “assembly,” קהל (qahal), meaning the congregation of those called by God, is the origin of our word for the Church, Ekklesia.
Once we are gathered, the Redemption is effected, our sins can be forgiven, we can live as children of God, and have eternal life. The reality of living this way is also joyful.
Christ called his message ‘good news’ or ‘glad tidings’. In Greek and later Latin, this was termed ‘Evangelium’ from which we get the word evangelist, meaning a person who spreads the good news. This word or phrase was translated into Old English as gospel which means “good words.”
Today, in this Year of Faith, we have to understand and experience the goodness in these good words of the Gospel. People alive today urgently need to be evangelized, that is, to have the Catholic Faith presented to them authentically and attractively.
Lucky for us, Faith is already attractive in its goodness, truth, and beauty; the gospel is good news or glad tidings.
Our Christian vocation is a sign of God's special love for us. As such, it requires a prompt and generous reply on our part, like that given by the Apostles.
The people today needing evangelization include us, our families and friends, those who were once Catholic but are not any longer, our separated brethren in other Christian denominations, non-Christians, those who are downright hostile to the Faith, and those who have never heard of Christ.
What can we do? Do these things each day, however small they may seem:
- Pray for light. Ask our Lord often, daily, What can I do?
- Pray for others to embrace the faith or return to it. Don’t forget to pray for their temporal needs, too.
- Start getting to know people. Make friends and acquaintances instead of just minding your own business all the time. Talk to people so that you get to know them and they get to know you.
- Perform a spiritual or corporal work of mercy with an apostolic motive. Thus, we shall be following our Founder and Head, who went about doing good.
- Offer your work and whatever sufferings you have to endure this day for the spread of the Faith.
- To top it all, do not be a ‘fake’, offer them the testimony of your life.
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