20190515
AN
EVANGELIZING OR A MISSIONARY CHURCH?
15 MAY, 2019,
Wednesday, 4th Week of Easter
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
White.
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First reading
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Acts 12:24-13:5 ©
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'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart'
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The word of God continued to spread and to
gain followers. Barnabas and Saul completed their task and came back from
Jerusalem, bringing John Mark with them.
In
the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,
Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with
Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. One day while they were offering worship to the
Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set
apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting
and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
So
these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and
from there sailed to Cyprus. They landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of
God in the synagogues of the Jews; John acted as their assistant.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 66(67):2-3,5-6,8 ©
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Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its
light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your
saving help.
Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with
justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on
earth.
Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise
you.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth
revere him.
Let the peoples praise
you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn20:29
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Alleluia, alleluia!
‘You believe, Thomas, because you can see
me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet
believe.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn8:12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the
Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light
of life.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 12:44-50 ©
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I, the light, have come into the world
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Jesus declared publicly:
‘Whoever believes in me
believes not in me
but in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me,
sees the one who sent me.
I, the light, have come into the world,
so that whoever believes in me
need not stay in the dark any more.
If anyone hears my words and does not keep
them faithfully,
it is not I who shall condemn him,
since I have come not to condemn the
world,
but to save the world.
He who rejects me and refuses my words has
his judge already:
the word itself that I have spoken will be
his judge on the last day.
For what I have spoken does not come from
myself;
no, what I was to say,
what I had to speak,
was commanded by the Father who sent me,
and I know that his commands mean eternal
life.
And therefore what the Father has told me
is what I speak.’
AN EVANGELIZING
OR A MISSIONARY CHURCH?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 12:24-13:5; PS 67:2-3, 5-6,8; JOHN 12:44-50 ]
The mission of the
Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore is to build a vibrant, evangelizing and
missionary church.
Very often, the words, “evangelizing” and “missionary” are used
interchangeably, so much so that we fail to understand the nuances of these two
words. If we are not clear of the subtle difference or emphasis between
these two words, then how can we ever be focused on our mission? Today’s
scripture readings give us the opportunity to clarify these two aspects of our
mission, namely, the work of evangelization and mission.
When we speak of
evangelization, we are speaking about bringing the gospel into the lives of our
fellowmen, the community and society we are in. The word “evangelize” means simply
to share the Good News, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, in words and in
deeds. In this sense, all baptized Catholics are called to make Jesus
present wherever they are. This call to evangelize can take different
forms. It could mean just being the face of Jesus in the way we relate
and work with others. At times, it calls for articulating the truth for
humanity. This was what Jesus did with His people. He came to
proclaim to them the truth about God, themselves and about life. He came
to offer light and eternal life to His people. Jesus said, “I, the light,
have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the
dark any more. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it
is not I who shall condemn him, since I have come not to condemn the world, but
to save the world.”
So evangelization is usually
not planned or focused. It
is undertaken by an individual Catholic according to the circumstances of his
or her life, vocation and charisms. Of course, it could also
be undertaken by an organization as well. Whichever the
case, one is called simply to be the Good News in person, word and deed,
bringing the gospel of Christ and permeating every aspect of culture, whether
economic, political, social, family, ecology, medicine and media. It is
to bring hope to humanity, helping people to walk in the truth, in the light,
in true freedom, justice, compassion and love. Most of all, it is to
offer them eternal life, a life with God. The intent is to make the
gospel present in the lives of our people. In the work of evangelization,
the Good News about Jesus may or may not be proclaimed explicitly.
For this reason, when we
speak of evangelization, we often speak of remote, preparatory and explicit
mention of the gospel. Most
of our social organizations would come under this dimension of
evangelization. Through the humanitarian work they do, they hope to make
this world a better place to live in, and show their love especially for the
poor, the underprivileged, the marginalized, the oppressed and those who are
suffering injustices. It is hoped that through implicit evangelization through
sharing the Good News of love, some might come to find the Lord.
Regardless, since it is truth and love that we are proclaiming, those who
reject the truth would simply be denying themselves of the Good News.
Jesus said, “He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the
word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.” In
rejecting the Good News which is truth and love, they would have deprived themselves
of the gospel and ultimately of Christ.
Hence, initially, the
early Jewish Christians were more engaged in the work of evangelization than
that of mission. This
was because until Barnabas and Saul were sent on mission, they were
evangelizing among the Jews most of the time and then extending the Good News
to the Gentiles who had an interest in the gospel. We read that when the
persecution began in Jerusalem, the Jewish Christians “(who) were scattered
went from place to place, proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the
city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.” (Acts 6:4f) Then Luke noted that “those who
were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled
as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one
except Jews.” (Acts 11:19)
It was only in today’s
first reading that we read of the mission entrusted to Barnabas and Saul. “One day while they were offering
worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas
and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.'” This
clearly defines for us the distinction between evangelization and mission. When
we speak of mission, although it embraces the work of evangelization, it is
more focused. The word “mission” means a task to accomplish, an object to
be achieved, a goal to be attained. Unlike the call to evangelization,
which is to make the Good News present wherever we are and in whatever we do,
mission is targeted at some group of people. In this case, it is often
targeted at those who do not yet know Christ, especially those who have not yet
heard of Him. This was how Barnabas and Saul began their first missionary
journey.
Mission again differs
from evangelization in the sense that to be in mission means that we are sent. We do not undertake the mission on
our own without being sent. In other words, we need to be
commissioned. At the end of the gospel of Matthew, he wrote, “Jesus came
and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am
with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20) Clearly, Barnabas and Paul
did not send themselves. They were sent by the Holy Spirit. “So
these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and
from there sailed to Cyprus.”
In the gospel, Jesus was
also clear that He was sent on a mission by the Father. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me
believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the
one who sent me. For what I have spoken does not come from myself; no, what I
was to say, what I had to speak, was commanded by the Father who sent me, and I
know that his commands mean eternal life. And therefore, what the Father
has told me is what I speak.” Jesus was conscious that He was sent
by the Father. He spoke in the name of His Father and acted on His
behalf. So, too, when we are sent, we are authorized messengers of the
Good News. We are fulfilling our mission with authority.
The authority of mission
means we are deputized.
This authority comes first and foremost from God Himself through the Holy
Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that is the protagonist of the
mission. This is made clear in today’s reading. We read that when
they were at worship the Holy Spirit instructed them to set Barnabas and Saul
apart for the mission. However, whilst it is the Holy Spirit that sends
us on mission, this mission must be authenticated by the community
explicitly. A mission is not something that we undertake on our own
account. We do not send ourselves. The Father sent the Son and the
Son together with the Father sends us the Holy Spirit for the work of mission.
This mission is verified
by the community, which in our case is represented by the Bishop who, as the head of the Christian
community, ordains priests and deacons, appoints leaders, religious or lay to
continue the mission of the Church. The Bishop, as the appointed
successor of the apostles, is given the mandate to appoint people for the
mission. This action is manifested by the laying on of hands. So we
read, that it “was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them
and sent them off. So these two, sent on their mission by the Holy
Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus.”
This mission, unlike the
work of evangelization, is the direct and purposeful proclamation of the
gospel. We read that when
Barnabas and Saul landed at Salamis, they “proclaimed the word of God in the
synagogues of the Jews; John acted as their assistant.” Hence, it
is important that we do not forget our primary purpose. Today, we often
speak of the Social Mission of the Church, which includes education, reaching
out to migrants, the sick, the needy, the physically and mentally challenged,
the blind and the deaf, etc. But the mission of the Church would be
incomplete if the name of the Lord is not proclaimed. We would be
short-changing our listeners because the ultimate goal is not just to offer
them a better life on earth but eternal life in heaven by recognizing Jesus as
their Saviour and Lord.
The work of mission
calls for generosity and the work of formation and discipleship. The local church or any religious
congregation must be ready to sacrifice their leaders to go to another country
or place where Christ is not yet proclaimed or known. This was what
happened to the church at Antioch. We read that “in the church at Antioch
the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and
Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul.” Barnabas and Saul were giving them good formation to the community.
“So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great
many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called
‘Christians.'” (Acts 12:26) Surely, to
set Barnabas and Saul apart for the mission was a loss to the community but a
gain for the universal Church. It was a sacrifice for them. We too
must be ready to sacrifice our good Catholic leaders from our parishes and
diocese for the work of mission abroad in territories where Christ needs to be
proclaimed. And even if we cannot go ourselves, we can always support
financially, through prayers and providing resources.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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