Preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God
19 SEPTEMBER (Lk 8,1-3)
From the word, the good news and the Gospel the history of mankind changes and is modified. The Gospel is more than the sun. A day without sun and the earth is lacking in its warmth that regenerates and fertilizes it. A day without the gospel and the soul is deprived of the light that warms, rekindles the truth and gives it true spiritual fruitfulness. The soul comes to life when the Gospel is the powerful light of truth, justice and holiness in it.
Not all words are the good news of the kingdom of God. Many words are of men, they are words of the other kingdom, that of the prince of this world. They are words of sin, scandal, gossip, slander, perjury, rumour, insult and deceit. They simply are not words of God. They are in no way the good news. These words do not rekindle hope, do not fertilize the soul of life, do not shine to our spirit and do not orient toward God. They are words of death, sadness and deprivation of all life. They are words of darkness.
Every man has the right to hear the good news of the kingdom. This right comes to him from his Creator who decided to save every man through the preaching of the Gospel. Wanting to bring God into his kingdom every man it is right that the Word is preached him in all its truth, beauty, holiness, hope, charity and heavenly light. Depriving one man of this fundamental right is serious sin of omission. However, the Gospel must be given in the manners of the Gospel, not according to ours. That is how these modes are announced by St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gospel, the Missionary of Jesus to the Gentiles, the One who made as a profession of faith his not being ashamed of the Gospel, the One for whom proclaiming the Gospel was not a boast, but a duty, a serious obligation and a work due to his God and Lord.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live. (Rm 1,16-17). Because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in performing the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God. For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit (of God), so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching the gospel of Christ (Rm 15,15-19).
If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew to win over Jews; to those under the law I became like one under the law – though I myself am not under the law – to win over those under the law. To those outside the law I became like one outside the law – though I am not outside God’s law but within the law of Christ – to win over those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it (1Cor 9, 19-23).
St. Paul is the true imitator of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is given walking, going from place to place, from town to town and from village to village. The Gospel goes to every man.
Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us heralds of the Gospel.