An Inconveniet Gospel

 "Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching." 2 Tim 4:2

Convenience is huge in the United States. Convenience stores are everywhere and although they charge more for ordinary products, they are easy to find and use, especially in an emergency. Health care providers also offer urgent care centers where anyone can go for medical treatment without cluttering up emergency rooms in hospitals, and many office workers can find exercise and fitness centers at their place of work. St Paul would be amazed and perhaps horrified.

Trying to make the Gospel convenient and accessible can be helpful in many parishes, but it can also be very dangerous. Reducing the Gospel to another commodity can lead people to think that the Good News is only valuable if it is useful and productive. Most of us know, although we sometimes wish it were otherwise, that the Gospel is not a commodity, and living it is often inconvenient. The Good News  is a way of life that offers us a set of values, and a ritual system to help us pray, while only demanding that we offer service to others without cost and despite its inconvenience.

Today, do something inconvenient for someone else.

What aspect of Gospel life most sustains you?

St Boniface

 "Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation." 2 Pt 3:17

Being a missionary has always been difficult. One must leave the comfort and security of a culture, family and religious system that one knows, and enter a totally different world asking God to show you the path to integration and transformation. The best missionaries have always been the most attentive listeners, people who sense the goodness of the people to whom they have been sent. 

St Boniface knew these challenges in spades. Sent to the German church that had lost its way, Boniface had to minister with compassion to an uneducated clergy and a community that was more interested in its own interpretation of the Gospel than the word preached by Jesus. Preaching reform and renewal, Boniface's influence was deep because he not only called people to reexamine their values, he also established houses of prayer throughout Germany. 

Today, pray for those who face a daily martyrdom in their own homes.

Have you experienced faith in another cultural context? What was it like?

Love God and Neighbor

  "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Mk 12:28

One of the tasks of the great Rabbis was to reduce the entire law and prophets to as few words as possible without losing the power and love of the entire Torah. Jesus’ response to the question: which commandment in the law is the greatest is unique in two ways. First, no other rabbi suggests that love of God and love of neighbor are equally important because love of God is not enough by itself, but neither is love of neighbor sufficient by itself.

Jesus also challenges the traditional rabbinic understanding of neighbor. The rabbis taught that while all Israelites deserved love as neighbors, those outside the covenant only merited compassion. Jesus rejects this understanding and  insists that the Torah demands that Jews love everyone as their neighbor. The good news is for all. There are no outsiders in God's love and this remains the challenge for believers today. How we live this command will determine how others understand the Gospel.

Today, ask God for the gift of knowing deep in your heart that God is always with you.

Do you believe and act in a way that convinces others that love of God and love of neighbor are equally important?

St Charles Lwanga and Companions

   "Grief-stricken in spirit, I, Tobit, groaned and wept aloud. Then with sobs I began to pray." Tb 3:1

St Charles Lwanga, although a faithful government official in the Kingdom of Buganda, was martyred because King Mwanga, whom he served so faithfully, killed anyone who would not renounce their Christianity. Although Charles saw Christ and Christianity as a path to salvation and eternal life, King Mwanga was blind to anything that came from Europe and threatened his sovereignty. Enraged by the disobedience of his court officials, Mwanga killed Charles and at least fifty other Christians, both Roman Catholic and Anglican, because they refused to let go of something he found threatening. 

Do we push aside anything or anyone that calls us to change?

Today, ask the Lord to purify your heart so that you might proclaim the gospel with clarity and hope.

What do you think it means to be an everyday martyr?