20140924 THE PRE CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE EVANGELIZATION

20140924 THE PRE CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE EVANGELIZATION 

First reading Proverbs 30:5-9 ©

Every word of God is unalloyed,

  he is the shield of those who take refuge in him.

To his words make no addition,

  lest he reprove you and know you for a fraud.

Two things I beg of you,

  do not grudge me them before I die:

keep falsehood and lies far from me,

  give me neither poverty nor riches,

  grant me only my share of bread to eat,

for fear that surrounded by plenty, I should fall away

  and say, ‘the Lord – who is the Lord?’

or else, in destitution, take to stealing

  and profane the name of my God.

Psalm

Psalm 118:28,72,89,101,104,163 ©

Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.

My soul pines away with grief;

  by your word raise me up.

The law from your mouth means more to me

  than silver and gold.

Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.

Your word, O Lord, for ever

  stands firm in the heavens:

I turn my feet from evil paths

  to obey your word.

Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.

I gain understanding from your precepts

  and so I hate false ways.

Lies I hate and detest

  but your law is my love.

Your word is a lamp for my steps, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation           cf.Col3:16a,17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,

find a home with you;

through him give thanks to God the Father.

Alleluia!

Or        Mk1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel           Luke 9:1-6 ©

Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.

THE PRE-CONDITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE EVANGELIZATION 

SCRIPTURE READINGS: PRV 30:5-9; LUKE 9:1-6
http://www.universalis.com/20140924/mass.htm

Today, we are invited to collaborate with Jesus in the work of evangelization.  Sometimes it seems like the Church has lost her power of evangelization in the world today.  Hence we need to ask, ‘what were the conditions that enabled the early Church to spread so quickly in the past?’  In other words, we must inquire into the secret of its success in the work of evangelization, of proclaiming the Good News.

Firstly, we are told that the proclamation of the Good news must be both in word and action.  This is clear, for Jesus sent the Twelve “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”  Evangelization must consist of both of these elements.  People must hear the Good News proclaimed to them.  No evangelization is complete without the explicit proclamation of Jesus as the Christ, the Good News of the kingdom in person.  At the same time, however, people must see the effects of the Good News in our lives and in their own lives.  Without action and deeds, it would be difficult for people to verify the truth of our proclamation.

But what kind of action is needed?  Firstly, people must see the “power and authority over all devils and to heal diseases” given to the Church by Christ.  The power of evangelization today is endangered by rationalization.  We have reduced this authority given to us by Jesus by explaining this power away, simply because we seem to have lost the authority to exorcise devils and eliminate evil from our midst and lost the charism of healing.  Indeed, as the book of Proverbs warns us, “Every word of God is unalloyed, he is the shield of those who take refuge in him.  To his words make no addition, lest he reprove you and know you for a fraud.”  So rationalization is simply an indication of our lack of faith, and proof that we ourselves are not credible believers.

This is not to say that we must take the words of Jesus literally and limit the power He has given to us to only the work of exorcism and physical healings.  We must realize that people in the ancient world did not make a difference between real demonic possession and psychological disturbance.  So whilst we certainly cannot preclude the need for a ministry of exorcism today, we must also extend this further.  The power over the devil also includes the power of deliverance for people who are suffering not so much from diabolical possession but from mental or emotional pain, such as depression, obsession, insecurity or fear.  The power over the devil includes the duty to fight against the forces of evil that continue to veil itself in certain movements and trends in the world today.  Finally, when we speak of healing, we refer not only to physical healing, but also the healing of the whole person.  We are called to heal the wounds of relationship; to reconcile the inner man and the disruption of relationship among peoples, regardless of race or religion.  Most of all, we are empowered to reconcile people with God.

But to achieve this work, two preconditions are necessary for us to be effective proclaimers.  Firstly, people must see for themselves the power of the Good News at work in our own lives.  Unless people see us as people of faith and trust in the Good News, our message will lose credibility, for if we are not believers, how could we expect them to believe what we say?  Consequently, as people of faith, our reliance must be on the power of God, not our human power.  For this reason, Jesus instructed His disciples that if they were to be credible in their proclamation of the Good News, they must “take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money” and not even a spare tunic.  In other words, as disciples of Jesus, we must show our dependence on the Lord only.  Without this absolute trust and dependence on God’s power and authority, we cannot work the same miracles in our ministry as Jesus did.

Secondly, we must be equanimous in our attitude towards the world.  In instructing His disciples to stay in whatever house they enter until they leave, Jesus is asking them to exercise equanimity with regard to life.  In other words, it means that we should be indifferent, so that we remain detached in whatever we do.  Only with equanimity can we be totally disposed to the Lord, trusting in His grace, power and divine providence, knowing that whatever happens, it is within His divine plan.  In this way, we will never be fearful or doubtful about the power of God at work in our lives.

Indeed, the book of proverbs warns us today that without the spirit of equanimity, we would destroy our peace of mind and even ourselves.  As an illustration, it says that neither poverty nor riches is good for us.  We should only pray for our “share of bread to eat, for fear that surrounded by plenty”, we can fall away because we forget that God is the Lord.  On the other hand, “in destitution, we might take to stealing” and profane in the name of our God.  So, it is best that we live a life of contentment without desiring for this or that.  Rather, we must be happy with whatever lot in life that God has assigned to us.  This is also true with regard to the result of our efforts in the work of proclamation.  Anticipating their frustrations in case of failure, Jesus reminded them to act with detachment to those who do not welcome them.  Hence, Jesus told them, “when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.”

With these two attitudes and disposition in our minds and hearts, we can now set out like the apostles “from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere” with power, faith and true freedom because we know that it is not we who are working, but God working in and through us.  Hence, we need not be too worried about the results of our work and ministry but entrust all our efforts to the Lord, just as Jesus surrendered His ministry to the Father.  This is the power and authority that the Lord wants to share with us, His collaborators.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH


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