20250507 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUFFERING AND EVANGELIZATION
07 May 2025, Wednesday, 3rd Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 8:1-8 |
They went from place to place, preaching the Good News
That day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria.
There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him.
Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.
Those who had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 65(66):1-7 |
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Because of the greatness of your strength
your enemies cringe before you.
Before you all the earth shall bow;
shall sing to you, sing to your name!’
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the river dry-shod.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Let our joy then be in him;
he rules for ever by his might.
His eyes keep watch over the nations:
let rebels not rise against him.
Cry out with joy to God, all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Jn6:40 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is my Father’s will, says the Lord,
that whoever believes in the Son shall have eternal life,
and that I shall raise him up on the last day.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 6:35-40 |
It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son should have eternal life
Jesus said to the crowd:
‘I am the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never be hungry;
he who believes in me will never thirst.
But, as I have told you,
you can see me and still you do not believe.
All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away;
because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will,
but to do the will of the one who sent me.
Now the will of him who sent me
is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me,
and that I should raise it up on the last day.
Yes, it is my Father’s will
that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life,
and that I shall raise him up on the last day.’
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUFFERING AND EVANGELIZATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 8:1-8; PSALM 66:1-7; JOHN 6:35-40]
It is the will of God for everyone to be saved. St Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy that God “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4) It is for this reason that Jesus came to proclaim Himself as “the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) Hence, St Paul reiterated that “there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” (1 Tim 2:5f) Accordingly, Jesus declares that “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.”
On account of this, Jesus gave His whole life to complete the mission the Father had entrusted to Him. It was doing the Father’s will that drove Jesus to do what He did. He was conscious that as the Son of the Father, He was called to reflect the Father’s love, compassion and mercy. Indeed, He said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I shall not turn him away; because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of the one who sent me. Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, and that I should raise it up on the last day. Yes, it is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and that I shall raise him up on the last day.”
Thus, the will of the Father is fundamental. What is true for Jesus is also true for His disciples. It is God’s will that we are saved, not just for ourselves but for others as well. Like our Lord, we too are called to be instruments of salvation and of the Good News for humanity. Bearing in mind what the Lord had done for the Christians, they in turn also devoted their lives to proclaim Christ far and near, even when they were under persecution because like our Lord, they also did not wish anyone to be lost. This principle of saving souls was what made missionaries in the past give up their family, their comforts in their own country, and travel to distant lands, braving storms in their travels, hunger and sickness – they gave up everything for the salvation of souls simply because Christ desires all to be saved.
Unfortunately, this urgency has been lost because some are saying that there are many ways to God. Christianity is only one of the many paths. They can be saved without Christ or indirectly through Christ. So, there is no urgency to share the gospel with unbelievers since they would be saved anyway, and their own faith also teaches values comparable to ours. Let them be saved through their own religions and not unsettle them by talking to them about Jesus. After all, we say regardless of which religion we belong to, we are all called to build the kingdom of God. So, it does not really matter which religion you adopt. When we have that kind of mentality, why would anyone be bothered to tell anyone about Jesus or to share the Good News? Why would we want to be seen as a threat to others and cause division? It is better that we keep our faith as a private thing not to be shared, all in the name of sensitivity, respect and inclusivity.
But this was not the case of the early Church until the 19th century. They were all out to proclaim the gospel even at the expense of their own lives. This was what we read in today’s first reading. They were not deterred even by persecution and the possibility of martyrdom. After the death of Stephen, a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem started. But one would have thought that persecution would stop the missionary advancement of the Church; instead, it became the impetus to go beyond Jerusalem to spread the gospel to Samaria. Indeed, the irony of persecution is that it resulted in a dispersion of Christians and created a band of missionaries rather than refugees. All were scattered and the seed of evangelization grew from strength to strength. More became Christians as a result of the persecution and more valued their faith more than ever. Devout men mourned the death of St Stephen because of his innocent death and courageous witnessing. Indeed, the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.
In the light of this fact, we see the close relationship between suffering and effective evangelization. The death of Stephen was the catalyst that forced the Christians to move out of their comfort zone in Jerusalem. His death opened the door to the proclamation of the gospel to all nations because it showed that the Temple was no longer necessary for true worship. God always uses persecution and suffering to help us advance the gospel. Writing to the Philippians about his imprisonment, Paul said, “I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.” (Phil. 1:12-14). “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” (Col 1:24) This does not mean that Christ’s sufferings are incomplete. But while Christ’s sufferings are complete in winning our salvation, the reception of this salvation is incomplete.
But it is not enough simply to suffer, we must suffer in the Spirit of Christ. Often, we associate the Spirit at work only in our ministry, such as preaching, healing and worshipping. But the Spirit is also at work when we suffer in union with the Lord and for the sake of the gospel. When we suffer, the Spirit is even more at work in us as He was in Jesus. When we think that we cannot carry on or that we have exhausted ourselves, like Jesus, we must commend our mission to the Holy Spirit. (Lk 23:46) Indeed, often it is in our helplessness that God comes to assist us to complete the tasks, often beyond our expectations. In the darkness of our lives, God will show us His face as it He did for Stephen who “saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:55) In such moments, we are called to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2)
Indeed, we can find strength to suffer for the ministry provided we know Christ’s own suffering and that of the many saints who have gone before us, witnessing to the gospel. If we suffer for someone whom we love, we will carry the suffering joyfully. In fact, suffering deepens our ties with those whom we suffer for. So, too, suffering in ministry deepens our union with the Lord and the Church. This explains why suffering in the ministry in union with our brothers and sisters gives us much encouragement and strengthens our ministry. Indeed, ministry means to suffer for the Church by carrying the burden of looking after the People of God. Even Paul spoke about his stress when he wrote, “Besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Cor 11:28)
The truth is that what we suffer increases our credibility in ministry. Paul could tell the Galatians, “From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body.” (Gal. 6:17). Such credibility gives us the authority to call people to conversion and collaboration in the ministry. Unless people see us sacrificing ourselves selflessly for the service of the gospel, people will doubt the truth of our message. This explains why the Church considers celibacy, poverty and obedience as the evangelical counsels that are truly effective in spreading the gospel as a form of witnessing. Hence, the success of the mission cannot be dependent on mere strategy and resources alone, with corporate leaders managing the Church. What we need are humble people who are deeply in love with the Lord and willing to sacrifice their comforts, resources, time and energy for the spread of the gospel. Indeed, today we lack martyrs, hence real witnesses for the Church. We are afraid of pain, shame and rejection. We are afraid to carry the cross after Jesus! Where have all the missionaries and martyrs gone? The Lord is no longer loved ardently!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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