Obligations

"Brothers and sisters: 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!" 1 Cor 9:16

All of us have obligations. Parents must impart values to their children, not simply in word, but in action. Friends need to be honest with friends, especially when someone is acting in a self destructive way. And all of us must try to be supportive of one another as people of the earth. The kind of competitiveness that drives us to destroy other peoples and nations hurts everyone and can only lead to further violence.

St Paul reminds us that our biggest and most important obligation is to preach the Gospel. Paul, of course, preached it in word and became the single most important voice of the early church. Announcing the Good News in what today is Rome, Turkey, Greece, Syria and Cyprus, Paul took his obligation seriously to go to the end of the earth and tell everyone he met about what Jesus had done for him. Just as important, Paul's interpretation of the Gospel, articulated in his letters, became the ground upon which the early church built a theology and that continues to serve us well.

It is important, from time to time to review our obligations, not just to family and society, but to the challenge of preaching the Good News with our lives. If we can honestly tell ourselves and God that we are trying to be disciples of Jesus, nothing much else matters.

Today, ask yourself how God wants you to preach the Gospel?

Who preaches the Gospel in a way that helps you live it??