The Scripture readings at Mass this
weekend focus on a common theme: the salvation of the Lord is not just for a
select group of people; it is available to everyone, even foreigners.
In the gospel reading, a Canaanite
woman, a foreigner, came to Jesus and begged for help. Her daughter was gravely
ill, and she knew that Jesus had the power to heal people. Up until this time,
Jesus had focused His efforts on the people of Israel, but this foreign woman
had so much trust in the Lord that Jesus actually changed His plans and said to
her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
Throughout most of the history of
Israel, the people of the covenant believed that Yahweh was their God alone.
Since foreigners were born into the “wrong” nation—that is, not Israel—the
belief back then was that they were not part of God’s Chosen People, and
therefore, could be ignored.
When Jesus came and fulfilled all the
prophecies of Israel, everything changed. It was now possible for any
person—regardless of race, creed, or nationality—to be in a covenant relationship
with God. A person was no longer thought to be either blessed or cursed based
on which nation he happened to be born into. Now any person could be blessed by
having a personal faith in Christ.
At the very end of Matthew’s Gospel,
Jesus gave what is known as the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you.”
This means that as Christians, we have
been commanded by the Lord Himself to spread the Gospel message to all the world.
There are countless places around the globe that have NEVER heard the Good News
of the Gospel. Some places are located in foreign lands 12,000 miles away;
others are in cubicles at the office 12 feet away.
For many centuries, Christians took the
Great Commission very seriously. Missionaries spread the Gospel message to the
far corners of the globe. In our day and age, however, sharing the Good News
has become very politically incorrect. Discussing your religious beliefs with
others is now defined as “imposing your intolerant values on others,” which
violates the most important modern-day world view: moral relativism, the idea
that all beliefs and values are equal.
The ancient Israelites did not share
their knowledge of God with foreigners because they thought Yahweh did not care
for those people from other countries (although He surely did). Nowadays, many
Christians do not share their knowledge of Christ with others because it’s
considered impolite.
The moral relativists and their doctrine
of “all views are equal” have done a fabulous job of shutting up the average
Christian. And I just can’t help but think the Lord is shaking His head and
muttering, “What’s the matter with you people? Do you believe that I am the
‘way and the truth and the life,’ or not?!”
So let’s start with baby steps. First,
let’s practice some low-key approaches to evangelization, such as St. Francis’
teaching: “Always preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.”
Actions do speak louder than words.
Living a moral, decent, unselfish life will make other people curious,
especially in our immoral, indecent, self-absorbed culture. It might even
create an opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ…with actual words.
Another concept that should help is:
“You don’t have to proclaim to everyone that you are a Christian. But if they
happen to find out, make sure they’re not surprised.”
So please, do not let whiny politically correct
moral relativists silence you. The Good News of the Gospel is indeed for the
whole world, as clearly stated by the Scripture readings this week. We have
been commanded by Our Savior to help spread the message.
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