20221130 SHARING OUR CHRIST EXPERIENCE WITH OUR LOVED ONES
30 November, 2022, Wednesday, St Andrew, Apostle
First reading | Romans 10:9-18 © |
Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ
If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 18(19):2-5 © |
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Follow me, says the Lord,
and I will make you into fishers of men.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 4:18-22 © |
'I will make you fishers of men'
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
SHARING OUR CHRIST EXPERIENCE WITH OUR LOVED ONES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ROM 10:9-18; MT 4:18-22]
We read in the gospel of John that some Greeks came to Philip to request to see Jesus. Philip then went and told Andrew; and together they went to tell Jesus. Indeed, many people are asking the same question, “We wish to see Jesus.” (Jn 12:21) Many are seeking for truth and meaning in life. Only Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life can give the world the ultimate meaning. The responsorial psalm declares, “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.” St Paul, citing the scripture also reiterates that, “those who believe in me will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
But St Paul also raised a prior issue namely that “they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him.” If many are living ignorant lives in the world, we cannot put the blame squarely on their shoulders alone. As it is said, there is no point bemoaning the darkness in the world when we could have lighted a candle. So too, St Paul argues the necessity of having a preacher to bring the Good News for “they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound.”
Thus, on the feast of the Apostle Andrew, we are all reminded of our call to proclaim the gospel. This call is given to all Christians by virtue of our baptism. The calling of the disciples, Peter and Andrew, James and John in the gospel is a prototype of our own calling. We are called to be fishers of men and to follow Jesus. What is significant in their response was that they obeyed without any delay or question. The command of Jesus to follow Him was received as if it were from God Himself, of which our answer must be immediate, decisive and total. Indeed, that was how the evangelist presented their reaction to Jesus’ command. Although busy doing their own work, fishing or mending their nets, when called, “at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.”
Such an immediate response not only indicates the total obedience of the disciples to the Word of God but that they also recognized the urgency of sharing the Good News. We too must respond with the same decisiveness and urgency in our desire to proclaim the Good News to others.
Where, then, do we begin to share the gospel? From St Andrew, we can take a cue that the best place to begin sharing the gospel is with our loved ones. We read in John’s account of the call that Andrew was among the first to be called by the Lord. And after discovering Jesus as the Messiah, he told his brother, Simon Peter, “We have found the Messiah”. He was the one who brought him to Jesus. (cf Jn 2:40-42)
How many of us actually share the Good News with our loved ones? More often than not, we do not mind sharing the Good News with friends and strangers but with our loved ones, especially our spouse, children, siblings or relatives, we hardly share what Christ has done for us. If we do not even experience or hear the Good News being proclaimed in our own community, how can we ever hope to proclaim to the world? Shouldn’t we make this a culture in our homes, organizations, communities and among our friends to share our Christ’s experience with each other so that we can be a source of inspiration and edification to each other’s faith?
Perhaps, we feel diffident that our own might not listen to us or are prejudiced against us. Thus, it is significant to appreciate the way Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to conversion. He did not “preach” about Jesus. Rather he simply brought him to Jesus to experience for himself what he had experienced with Jesus when he stayed with Him earlier. This tactful and convincing way of proclaiming Jesus especially to our loved ones is something we can learn from Andrew. With our loved ones, we do not “preach” to them about Jesus, for a prophet is not accepted in his own country. But we can share with them what Jesus has done for us and what He is to us. It is through our personal testimony of the difference that Jesus has made in our lives that will convince our loved ones and stoke their desire to meet Jesus as well.
Of course, sharing the good news with our loved ones and our community means more than mere proclamation of the Word or what Jesus has done for us. We need to incarnate the Good News in our lives by our own personal conversion, in demonstrating a life that is lived in charity, in words and deeds, in forgiveness and compassion, in selfless service and collaboration, in tolerance and acceptance, in honesty and integrity, in truth and in love. Without a genuine concern and love for those whom we live with, without a change of heart, no amount of testimony is going to convince anyone, especially when our loved ones who know us so well can be quite sceptical about our conversion experience.
In order to be effective messengers of the Good News, we need, therefore, as individuals to seek the Good News ourselves before we can become messengers. The call to bring the message to our loved ones, friends and to the whole world must begin with us. Indeed, if we are diffident about sharing our personal relationship with the Lord with others, and are only contented to impart knowledge and doctrines about Jesus, it shows that we do not really know Him or have a real experience of Him at work in our lives. Like St Andrew then, we must be true seekers of the Lord. He himself was the first seeker of the Lord and because of his genuine search for the Lord, Jesus told him to “Come and see.” Then later on in the gospel, we find in Andrew, one who would seek clarification from Jesus about things that he did not understand; as in the case when Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem (cf Mk 13:1-4), and when he told Jesus that with so few barley loaves, it would be impossible to feed so great a multitude. (cf. Jn 6:8-9)
Hence, we are called to appropriate for ourselves the Good News in our hearts lest our words fall on deaf ears and our listeners are not converted even though they have heard the Good News. As St Paul said, “If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.” We must submit in obedience, like those apostles who responded immediately to the word of command from Jesus to follow Him. Believing the Word requires obedience of the heart. We only need to believe from the heart in order to be saved and be transformed. This is what St Paul wrote, “By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved.” If we want to be true sharers of the gospel, we must first believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and, experiencing His Lordship in our lives, we can then proclaim confidently to others that He indeed is Lord not simply by the doctrines we have been taught but by the Lord Himself!
What is true of us is true of our listeners as well. If we have truly proclaimed the Word of Christ by our inner conviction and our transformed lives and they are still not converted, then it is simply due to their obduracy of heart. This is what St Paul was implying when he said, “Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? ….’Let me put this question’ is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed, they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and the message to the ends of the world.” Nevertheless, on our part, our conscience is clear, for we have followed the example of St Andrew in imparting the Word we have received to others.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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