20200425 WRITING YOUR GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
25 April, 2020, Saturday, St Mark, Evangelist
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
First reading
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1 Peter 5:5-14 ©
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My son, Mark, sends you greetings
All wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you. Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things. You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.
I write these few words to you through Silvanus, who is a brother I know I can trust, to encourage you never to let go this true grace of God to which I bear witness.
Your sister in Babylon, who is with you among the chosen, sends you greetings; so does my son, Mark.
Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 88(89):2-3,6-7,16-17 ©
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I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord;
the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth.
For who in the skies can compare with the Lord
or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Happy the people who acclaim such a king,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your justice the source of their bliss.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation
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1Co1:23-24
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We are preaching a crucified Christ,
who is the power and the wisdom of God.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Mark 16:15-20 ©
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Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:
‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.
WRITING YOUR GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Pt 5:5-14; Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; Mk 16:15-20]
Most of us are familiar with the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But many Catholics do not know that there are also many apocryphal gospels written but not accepted as inspired by the Church and so never entered into the canon. There are so many of them. Just to name a few, there is the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Marcion, Gospel of Judas, Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Philip. These gospels lacked authenticity and credibility. They were most likely written as pious reflections of the early Christians. In this sense, we should also write our own gospels, but bearing in mind that it would be our own synthesis or reflection of Christ in our lives; and it cannot be used as a “canon” or rule to judge truth and morals.
Writing our own gospel is a good way to personalize and concretize our faith in Jesus in our particular history, culture and epoch of time. After all, even for the four official gospels of the Church, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote from the perspective of their encounter with the Lord, the experience of the Christian community they belonged to, and the audience they had in mind. This means to say that their understanding and interpretation of Jesus are skewed according to their perception of Jesus, even though these are based on historical events. This is because they were applying the life of Jesus to the concrete life of the Christian community and their own life as well.
Yet, it must be noted that before they were evangelists, they were first and foremost apostles and missionaries of the gospel. Before they wrote the gospels, they had a first-hand experience of the work of a missionary. Their writings were not born from the library, whilst they were doing research and reflection. Rather, their sources for writing the gospel were from their life experiences of their encounter with the Lord, proclaiming the gospel to all the nations, and seeing how God accompanied them in their preaching, as the gospel said, with signs. “While they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.”
So before the evangelists wrote the gospel, they were witnesses of our Lord. St Mark was a relative of St Peter. It seems that Peter was married to a relative of Mark’s father. When Mark’s father died, he took care of Mark and considered him as his son. So we can understand why when he was rejected by Paul after the first missionary journey, Barnabas and Peter took him in. St Mark’s gospel, therefore, reflects the thoughts of Peter. Paul had Luke to follow him in his missionary journey. Hence, Luke’s gospel reflects the thoughts of Paul. Indeed, the Acts of the Apostles, which traces the missionary journeys of St Paul, was written by Luke as a sequel to the gospel. In his final days, Paul wrote from prison with a note of consolation when he remarked, “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.” (2 Tim 4:11)
We, too, before we can write our own gospel of Jesus Christ, we must be evangelists, writing not as writers but as missionaries for the Lord. We must be sent out into the world. “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised is saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.” We must be actively involved in announcing the gospel to others. A true evangelist must have a firsthand experience of what it takes to proclaim the gospel, have gone through all the struggles and challenges in mission work, the trials of the apostolate, the rejections and persecutions of those opposed to the gospel, the failures and success of missionary work, the difficulties of laying strong foundations for new Christian communities.
Unless we have experienced the challenges of being apostles and missionaries at the forefront where our people live, we have not proclaimed the gospel. Staying in the comfort of our office and our library, writing theological books and reflections makes our writings too abstract for people to understand and useless for application to daily life. So it is when we are with our people, journeying with them in their struggles, in sickness, in disappointments, in suffering injustices, in sharing their bereavement, in identifying with their fears, anxieties and worries about their future, their jobs, their finances, their children; that we can say that we are true missionaries and evangelists.
But it is not just journeying with them in their struggles. We must give hope to them. Like the psalmist, we must sing forever of His love. “I will sing forever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts forever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. The heavens proclaim your wonders, O Lord; the assembly of your holy ones proclaims your truth. For who in the skies can compare with the Lord or who is like the Lord among the sons of God?” And how is this done if not by the signs that accompanied our preaching and teaching. That was why He said, “These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.” Jesus wants us to be with His people and to heal and liberate them.
In the early Church, the signs must accompany the proclamation of the gospel. As Church today, we should continue to manifest these signs. These could be ministering to people directly through fervent prayers for healing and deliverance from the Evil One. But these signs are equally seen when Christians live lives of love, generosity, forgiveness and compassion. When we reach out to help the poor, assist the sick, show sympathy to those who are in bereavement, give time and care to our elderly, free those involved in the occult or in immoral activities, we show the power of the Risen Lord at work in our lives and in their lives. It is when we touch and change lives, transforming them by giving them hope and purpose, that we know the Lord is real and the gospel is truly Good News.
However, signs are not sufficient because they can make us proud and triumphalist. We are told that we need to remain humble if we want to be good missionaries of Christ. St Peter wrote, “All wrap yourselves in humility to be servants of each other, because God refuses the proud and will always favour the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God now, and he will raise you up on the appointed day; unload all your worries on to him, since he is looking after you.” Only in humility, can we realize that the effectiveness of the gospel does not depend on human ingenuity but on the power of God. If some of us are always anxious about the success of our mission and ministries, it is because we are focusing on ourselves instead of focusing on Him. Unless we rely on His grace and give glory to Him when He works in and through us, we cannot be true evangelisers and missionaries of the gospel.
Finally, before we write the gospel of our Lord, we must share with Him the persecutions that come from the enemies of Christ. There are many who are opposed to the gospel because we proclaim the truth of life. Those who are selfish and self-centered seek to destroy us. That is why, St Peter wrote, “Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things.” We must take courage and be willing to suffer with our Lord and for Him. “You will have to suffer only for a little while: The God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you.” Indeed, only when we are identified with Christ in His mission and ministry, sharing in His life and concern for the People of God, can we then begin to write the gospel rooted in our life. This is the real gospel, one that is not merely beautiful words but born from flesh and blood.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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