Proclaiming the gospel message required boldness then and it requires boldness today. Boldly proclaiming the gospel was so important that Jesus repeated it three times in seven short verses: “fear no one,” “proclaim on the housetops,” “Do not be afraid.” In addition, sharing the gospel message required/s faith. It requires faith in God the Father who, as Jeremiah tells us in the first reading, is with us, “like a mighty champion.” It requires faith in God’s infinite and overwhelming love, a love so fervent that God the Father knows how many hairs each of us has on our head. In the First Letter of John 4:18-19 we read that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. We love because [God] first loved us.”
God’s transforming and empowering love is a gift; it is a gift revealed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who died for all our sins. In Romans 5:5-8 St. Paul said “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. With such irrefutable proof, there is no room for fear.” And so, we all should have the courage to proclaim the gospel message from our housetops, in our schools, in our work places and in our community:
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!
Lord God, our Father,
we have experienced much grace and love
and forgiving mercy from you
and your Son Jesus has brought us
an unforgettable message of joy.
Do not allow us ever to forget this
and make us bold enough to share with others
what we have received from you as a free gift.
May our very lives bear witness
that Jesus walks by our side
and that we should never be afraid
of proclaiming with our very lives
our hope and trusting faith in you.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
we have experienced much grace and love
and forgiving mercy from you
and your Son Jesus has brought us
an unforgettable message of joy.
Do not allow us ever to forget this
and make us bold enough to share with others
what we have received from you as a free gift.
May our very lives bear witness
that Jesus walks by our side
and that we should never be afraid
of proclaiming with our very lives
our hope and trusting faith in you.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
