23 July 2014 - moving for word

23 July 2014 - moving for word

Jesus wants us to tell the world about him.  It isn't just a job for the clergy.  We all share in this mission.  Vatican II's Decree of the Apostalate of the Laity tells us "the true apostle is on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers to draw them towards the faith, or to the faithful to instruct them, strengthen them, and incite them to a more fervent life" (AA, 6).  Yes, we witness with our lives, but we are reminded that revealing "Christ by word" is of prime importance even for laity because "It is a fact that many men cannot hear the Gospel and come to acknowledge Christ except through the laymen they associate with" (AA, 13).

Jesus himself wants us to go and make disciples of all nations (cf Mat. 28:19, to proclaim the gospel to every creature (cf. Mar. 16:15).  The Holy Spirit makes us want to do this.  In fact, as he changes our hearts he makes it hard to shut up about Jesus. With Paul, we begin to say "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" (cf. 1 Cor 9:16).  Since Jesus himself desires it and the Holy Spirit himself empowers it we need to stop making excuses.  Jeremiah is not too young, nor are we. Neither are we too old, too uneducated, or too poor at speaking.

But the LORD answered me,
Say not, “I am too young.”
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Have no fear before them,
because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.

Like the sower in the gospel we can be reckless with the seed.  There is no shortage.  If we spend a lot of time and effort trying to avoid spreading seed on the path, on rocky grounds, or amid thorns we will not get as much seed on good soil.  The peripheries of the good soil that brush up against the other terrain will be missed as well.  The difference is a gradient and isn't even always clear to us.  The important thing is to sow and give the seed a chance.  As long as we sow, some seed will find rich soil.

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Why are we reluctant?  We do have ears, but we aren't really using them.  The LORD himself says "See, I place my words in your mouth!"  But we're afraid of discomfort.  We're afraid of being embarassed.  We don't even face any really significant consequences for talking about Jesus and yet we're reluctant to do it.  But the LORD will be a rock of refuge even from these little martyrdoms that we fear.

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.

We may experience negative reactions but they won't be able to bring us down if our hope and our joy is in the LORD.

For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.

The more we proclaim him, the more we experience his saving hand helping us, the more want want to proclaim him.  For example, we proclaim him to someone who is not receptive. They insult us, but it doesn't affect our spirit in the way we would expect.  We maintain our joy and compassion because the LORD is our hope and our trust, not how we appear in the eyes of this person.  We recognize this is made possible by God's supernatural help.  And the person who is initially not receptive might see it, too.  With the psalmist we begin to say, "I will sing of your salvation" as he helps us in situations like this. We can trust him and we must proclaim him.  The world needs to hear!

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.

If we feel like we don't know where to start let us come back to his words, the words he wants to place in our mouths.  Hopefully,  "you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers."  This word is the "sword the the Spirit" (cf. Eph. 6:17), "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (cf. Heb 4:12).  To be able to proclaim Jesus, and indeed to be able to live the Christian life at all, we must head Paul's instructions: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God."  Let us be filled with this word until we can no longer contain it and it overflows outward.