GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 9TH MAY 2017
TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER
FIRST READING: Acts 11:19-26
PSALM: Psalm 87: 1-7
GOSPEL: John 10:22-30
THEME: PREACH THE GOSPEL ANYTIME AND ANYWHERE
Pope John Paul II, addressing thousands of young people at the 8th World Youth Day at Denver, USA, said, “Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from rooftops. Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living, in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern ‘metropolis’. It is you who must ‘go out into the byroads’ and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for his people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father.”
Many have sought to find a reasonable explanation for the rapid propagation of the Gospel by the first generation of Christians, who for the most part were unlearned men and women. Well, every Christian of the first generation considered it his/her duty to witness. This was the secret of the rapid expansion that took place in the first hour of Christianity.
The first reading is a classic case in point. The church in Antioch was founded by ‘lay-men and women’ fleeing the persecution launched against them in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen. As they fled, they preached. The fruit of their proclamation of the Gospel was the birth of Christian communities in towns and cities: the church in Antioch is an example. This church later received an “apostolic visit” from the mother-Church in Jerusalem by the sending forth of Barnabas to them. It was there in Antioch that, we are told, the disciples were first called “Christians”.
The point is this: You do not need to be a priest or religious missionary to preach the Word of God. It is the duty of every Christian to share the Gospel with somebody. For example, what prevents a lay-woman who sells tomatoes at the market from telling someone who is buying tomatoes from her, “Jesus loves you”? What prevents Christians living in a neighbourhood from coming together to form a Basic Christian Community, where they can meet frequently to share their faith and with time invite others in the neighbourhood to join them? What prevents a nurse in the hospital from telling a sick patient, “Jesus cares about you”? Every one of us can share his/her faith in subtle ways with others so that the Kingdom of God may be established in our generation. Why not give it a try today? Allow the Holy Spirit to use you to tell someone about Jesus before the day ends.
PRAYER: Lord, my heart is ready. Lead me to share your Word with someone today. Grant me this grace and I will give you the glory. For the sake of the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).