Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them : ” go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.
My wife, Anna, and I were extremely active in the Church we were married. Because of that the the Pastor and Associate Pastor, Father Paul, concelebrated our marriage Mass. Father Paul later became our pastor. We were not double married but it did insure the knot. Father Paul and another priest Father Bob came to America as immigrants from India and both became proud United States citizens. They continue to serve in many parishes.
How did the Catholic faith get to India and how did Father Paul and Father Bob come to America?
It was through the missionary work of our Saint today, Saint Francis Xavier and other missionaries who took the words of Jesus in our Gospel reading for today from Mark 16:15-20. It mirrors the words of Matthew 28:17-20. Saint Francis was a Jesuit Priest who planted the Gospel seed in India and the generations that followed planted the Gospel seed in Father Paul. He in turn planted that seed in us. It almost makes me dizzy to think of the path that the Gospel message took.
It is important to know that both Gospels are the last words that Jesus gave the Eleven Apostles before He ascended into Heaven. These were marching orders to his Faithful followers. They are also our marching orders as well.
Now as much as I would love to go to another country to spread the Gospel, there is something that I can do to spread the Gospel in my own community.
A common mantra says that “All politics is local” is also true about the Gospel. All religion and spreading of the Gospel is local.
How can I in my own small way spread the Gospel?
What is the Gospel message?
We must of course donate and pray for the missions around the world. But on a local level we must speakout against those who foster false witness against their neighbor, drunkeness, adultery, fornication and other sins. It is not our job to condemn anyone that does not follow the commandments. We must speak out against sin but love those sinners .
We can change a sinners mind by following the Gospel message in our lives.We also must postitively do something that proves that ” the Lord working with them and confirming the word by signs that accompanied it.” We are the proof of the success of the Gospel in how Christ works in our lives. We have the peace of mind that everyone else is looking and searching.
In the words of Saint Mother Teresa in the last part of the poem “Anyway” …”If you find serenity and happiness, they maybe jealous, be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough, give them your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God; It never was between you and them anyway.”
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
Picture credit: “Francis Xavier (1506 – 1552)” by etonclark is marked with CC PDM 1.0
