ELEMENTS FOR A RENEWED EVANGELIZATION

20160707 ELEMENTS FOR A RENEWED EVANGELIZATION

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading

Hosea 11:1-4,8-9 ©

Thus says the Lord:

When Israel was a child I loved him,

and I called my son out of Egypt.

But the more I called to them, the further they went from me;

they have offered sacrifice to the Baals

and set their offerings smoking before the idols.

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 them with reins of kindness,

with leading-strings of love.

I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek;

stooping down to him I gave him his food.

Ephraim, how could I part with you?

Israel, how could I give you up?

How could I treat you like Admah,

or deal with you like Zeboiim?

My heart recoils from it,

my whole being trembles at the thought.

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.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 79:2-3,15-16 ©

Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

  shine forth from your cherubim throne.

O Lord, rouse up your might,

  O Lord, come to our help.

Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall be saved.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore,

  look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

  the vine your right hand has planted.

Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall be saved.

Gospel Acclamation

Ps94:8

Alleluia, alleluia!

Harden not your hearts today,

but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Alleluia!

Or

Mk1:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

The kingdom of God is close at hand:

repent and believe the Good News.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 10:7-15 ©

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘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. You received without charge, give without charge. 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.

  ‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. 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. 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. 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.’

ELEMENTS FOR A RENEWED EVANGELIZATION

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HOS 11:1-4. 8-9; MT 10:7-15  ]

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 Pope Emeritus 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 Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved