20210428 A VIBRANT, EVANGELIZING AND MISSIONARY CHURCH
28 April, 2021, Wednesday, 4th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 12:24-13:5 © |
'I want Barnabas and Saul set apart'
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 66(67):2-3,5-6,8 © |
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!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn20:29 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
‘You believe, Thomas, because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 12:44-50 © |
I, the light, have come into the world
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.’
A VIBRANT, EVANGELIZING AND MISSIONARY CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ Acts 12:24-13:5; Ps 67:2-3,5-6,8; Jn 12:44-50]
Our vision of the local Church is to form ourselves into a vibrant, evangelizing and missionary Church. The model of a vibrant, evangelizing and missionary Church is that of Antioch in the Acts of the Apostles. In the first place, evangelization requires us to sow the seeds of faith. In the previous chapter, we read of the persecution, “some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 11:20) These men were the first missionaries to Antioch. And it is significant that they were not the apostles or the leaders of the Church but simply disciples of Christ who went to Antioch and sowed the seeds of faith. (Acts 11:21) The disciples grew in strength and number because of the work of evangelization of these persecuted Christians.
Secondly, for the Church to continue to grow, it was important that they remained in contact with the apostles. Accordingly, when “news of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.” (Acts 11:22) The founding of the Church by the disciples of Christ is similar to the founding of the Catholic Church in Korea. Like the Church in Antioch, it was not started by the apostles, but by the laity. It was only when the Church began to grow in number that the Catholics began to search for the foundation of their faith. Only then were priests and religious missionaries brought in to sustain the faith of the people. It was so for the Church in Antioch. Having sown the seeds of faith, the apostles dispatched Barnabas a Jew to Antioch to have oversight of the developments.
Thirdly, Barnabas was sent to Antioch not simply to oversee the incipient Church but to help them to nurture and grow in their faith. This explains why building a vibrant local Church is the key to an evangelizing and missionary Church. Unless our Catholics grow in discipleship, we cannot speak of evangelization or mission as they would not be ignited or filled with the Holy Spirit enough to desire to bring the gospel to others. Barnabas was not reactive or controlling or judgmental, as many of the new members were Gentiles and Greek-speaking Jews. Although himself a Jew, he did not allow his Jewish customs to close the gospel to those who were Gentiles. Instead “he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion.” (Acts 11:23f)
It was the receptive and collaborative approach of Barnabas and his encouragement that helped the Church to grow. And this is always true when we have a leader who is an encourager like Barnabas. When leaders are legalistic, conservative and judgmental, the community loses its vibrancy and dynamism. This was the case of Judaism. Indeed, when our parishes are on maintenance mode, when services and worship are undertaken out of mere routine, when there are no new initiatives and desire to grow further, it is a sign of a Church that is dying. There is always this constant temptation to remain a maintenance Church, not to rock the boat, not to make any changes so that no one is disturbed, not to challenge our people to do more. Protectionism will cause the Church to degenerate.
Fourthly, it was a Church of discipleship. St Luke tells us that “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. 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 11:25f) The members of the Church were ever ready to understand and grow in their faith. They were keen to listen to Barnabas and Saul. They were the teachers of faith. They were keen to learn. Unless our Catholics make time to study the Word of God, attend courses to deepen their understanding of Church doctrines and sacraments, avail themselves regularly for retreats and prayer, we cannot call ourselves disciples. To be disciples means to always learn and discover our faith. Even Barnabas did not feel that he knew everything and, in his humility, he recruited Saul to share the work of teaching and formation. He too had something to learn from others. We are disciples and teachers always, sheep and shepherd.
Fifthly, mature discipleship is seen in our communion with the universal Church. When one of the prophets, Agabus who came down from Jerusalem prophesied a severe famine all over the world, especially in Judea, “the disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” (Acts 11:29f) Indeed, Christians belong to one Church, one body of Christ. Christians are brothers and sisters in the Lord. When one part of the body suffers, the entire body suffers as well. So when they heard of the suffering of their fellow brothers and sisters in Judea, they sent aid to them through Barnabas and Saul.
In today’s first reading, we read that as a consequence, “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.” We can see how Barnabas recruited more leaders and teachers to help him to grow the community. He did not do it by himself but was always ready to find new leaders to help him form the community. For the Church to grow, we must always be finding new leaders to collaborate with us in the work of formation and evangelization. We cannot be doing everything ourselves for fear of the loss of power and popularity. Indeed, Barnabas was only concerned about the spread of the gospel. He was not interested in being known as a leader. In fact, by chapter 13 of Acts, instead of “Barnabas and Saul”, Luke would give the leadership to “Paul and Barnabas.” Barnabas was ready to play the second fiddle when he saw Paul as a more dynamic leader.
The end product of a vibrant Church is a Church that is cosmopolitan. It encompasses all races. We are not only Christians but we are Catholic. The Church is universal. We are told 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.” The Church’s leaders in Antioch were not only spiritually gifted with prophets and teachers but they were diverse multiculturally and socio-economically. Yet, they were truly Catholic because they worked together and collaborated for the greater good of gospel, living in communion and unity with each other.
But the cream of such a vibrant Church is a Church that is praying and truly missionary. “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.” What a wonderful example of being a missionary Church. They could have kept Barnabas and Paul for themselves to continue to develop the Church further. But they did not. They sacrificed their best teachers and leaders for the spread of the gospel. This spirit of mission certainly is the hallmark of the Antioch Church. It was in prayer, in union with the Holy Spirit that they could respond generously to the voice of God asking them to send Barnabas and Paul for mission.
We, too, would have the desire to reach out and spread the Good News to all if we have a vibrant faith, connected with the universal Church, a Church that prays and fasts, a Church that nurtures and is being formed all the time, and a Church that reaches out to all regardless of race and culture. As the Lord says, “I, the light, have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark any more.” Like Jesus, we too must proclaim what we have heard. “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.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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