20140710 ELEMENTS FOR A RENEWED EVANGELIZATION
Reading 1, Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8-9
1 When Israel was a child I loved him, and I called my son
out of Egypt.
3 I myself taught Ephraim to walk, I myself took them by
the arm, but they did not know that I was the one caring for them,
4 that I was leading them with human ties, with
leading-strings of love, that, with them, I was like someone lifting an infant
to his cheek, and that I bent down to feed him.
8 Ephraim, how could I part with you? Israel, how could I
give you up? How could I make you like Admah or treat you like Zeboiim? My
heart within me is overwhelmed, fever grips my inmost being.
9 I will not give
rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy
Ephraim again, for I am God, not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I shall
not come to you in anger.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 80:2, 3, 15-16
3 God, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we
shall be safe.
15 protect what your own hand has planted.
Gospel, Matthew 10:7-15
8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering
from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge,
give without charge.
9 Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with
coppers for your purses,
10 with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or
footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep.
11 'Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone
worthy and stay with him until you leave.
12 As you enter his house, salute it,
13 and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon
it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you.
14 And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what
you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your
feet.
15 In truth I tell
you, on the Day of Judgement it will be more
bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Scripture
Reflection
ELEMENTS FOR A RENEWED EVANGELIZATION
What
is the greatest obstacle to the Church and her mission today? It is secularization. This
is such an insidious trend because it is not just excluding God from public
life but it is also an onslaught on the very core of the Church, her own
members. As a consequence, many are losing faith in God. With a
weakening faith, we also have a faint sense and urgency of mission.
Yet there
is a glimpse of hope in the midst of the dark shadows of our current time.
The hunger and thirst for meaning, everlasting love and authentic life in the
secularized world create a great opportunity for us in the work of the New
Evangelization. As the Holy Father, Pope Benedict remarked, “Not only is
there physical hunger, there is also a more profound hunger which only God can
satisfy. Man in the third millennium also seeks an authentic and full life; he
needs truth, profound freedom and gratuitous love. Even in the deserts of the
secularised world man’s soul thirsts for God, for the living God”.
Ironically what appears to be our greatest threat is also the springboard for a
renewed evangelization. How is that so?
We
must first begin by inquiring into the rise of secularization. The first factor is the experience of
the absence of God. In a world of technology where God is relied upon
less and less to solve the problems of the world, God has become redundant in
our lives. So much so, His existence and presence is no longer needed or
felt. He is not seen or spoken of. In the hearts of many, God is
dead.
Secondly,
even if one were to admit that He exists; He is deemed to be distant and
cannot do much for us. In the face of global catastrophes, or even in
our own personal tragedies, this God seems helpless and indifferent. He
does not appear to love us; He cannot hear our prayers or does not answer
them. What then would be the necessary elements for a renewed evangelization?
Firstly,
we need to establish the Lordship of Christ. That is what
Jesus asked of us when He instructed the Twelve as follows: “As you go,
proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” To claim that the
reign of God is here, it means to declare our faith that God is still present
in the world and that in spite of all contradictions, He is very much in charge
of the world and nothing will destroy His plan of salvation for humanity and
the cosmos. Proclaiming the Lordship of Christ is the antidote to a world
where God is banished from public life.
Secondly,
we need to proclaim the love and mercy of God as a reality in this world and
concretely in our lives. The prophet Hosea in the first reading described
the love of God for His people in very concrete terms when He said, “I myself
taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in my arms; yet they have not understood
that I was the one looking after them. I led with reins of kindness, with
leading-strings of love.” So intense is God’s love for us that in
His mercy He remembers His tender love for us, “…like someone who lifts an
infant close against his cheek; stooping down to him I gave him his food.
My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the thought.”
But
this proclamation of the Lordship of Christ and His love cannot be mere words
alone. This proclamation must be matched with deeds. Yes, in
a world where emphasis is given to personal experience, we need to demonstrate
the reality of God’s Lordship and His love in our world and in our lives.
How
then is the Lordship of Christ proclaimed today? As it was in the time of Jesus,
He has given us the authority to cast out devils and the evil spirits and to
denounce the reign of Satan, the reign of sin: “As you go, proclaim that the
kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.” Isn’t raising the dead an act that
only God can do and not any human being by his own power?
The
counsel of poverty and total dependence on the Lord affirms the efficacy of the
mission as one that is accomplished by the power of God, not the ingenuity of
man. That was why
Jesus told the apostles to observe poverty when He said, “provide yourselves
with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no
haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the
workman deserves his keep.” God will provide. If the preacher of
the gospel does not believe that He will provide, the proclamation of God’s
providential love for us and His Lordship would be called to question.
But not
only is it sufficient to proclaim His Lordship, we must also manifest His
Lordship over us by our works of healing and mercy. This accounts
for the necessity of proclamation to be followed by works of healing, as Jesus
authorized us to do. This love and mercy of God is proclaimed through
forgiveness, symbolized by the healing of lepers and the healing
miracles. As Christians, we must continue to express our faith in God and
mediate God’s love through works of charity, besides offering prayers of faith
for healing and reconciliation.
This
offer of the Good News must be given freely as an invitation. This is what Jesus reminded the
apostles, “You received without charge, give without charge.” Christ and
the Good News must be offered as a gift to others. It cannot be imposed
on others. We must first receive this gift of Jesus as the unconditional
love of God before we can give it to others. This is the pre-requisite in
the work of evangelization, hence the urgency of being first renewed in the
faith or be re-evangelized.
However,
the consequence of reception or rejection of the gift is beyond compare.
For those who receive the message of salvation, they will find peace, as Jesus
assured us, “As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it,
let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to
you.”
For
those who reject His love and mercy, the consequences are dire. This is the intent of Jesus’
saying that “if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say,
as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I
tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land
of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.” Such a warning does not
contradict God’s unconditional love and mercy when He said, “I will not give
rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God, not
man: I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy.” The
rejection is on our part. We forfeit what is given to us. The
shaking of dust from our feet is to disclaim that once we have proclaimed the
Good News, the responsibility now rests on the listeners.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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