Preaching the gospel without time or training
Acts of the apostles 4:13-21
Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them
to be uneducated, ordinary men, the leaders, elders, and scribes were amazed,
and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus. Then when they saw the man
who had been cured standing there with them, they could say nothing in reply.
So they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, and conferred with one another,
saying, “What are we to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows that
a remarkable sign was done through them, and we cannot deny it. But so that it
may not be spread any further among the people, let us give them a stern
warning never again to speak to anyone in this name.”
Do you know
how long I studied to be a priest? I have a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, I
have a master of divinity in theology, I have a master of arts in Sacred
Scripture, and I have a licentiate in canon law. And before that I went to a
Catholic high school, and before that I attended a Catholic elementary school.
Heck, I was probably praying the rosary in my mother’s womb using her umbilical
cord! But do you know how much of that is absolutely necessary to preach the
gospel to other people? None of it. What is necessary is a personal encounter
with Jesus, lots of love for the Lord.
Listen to
what the pope said in his first major encyclical called, “The Joy of the
Gospel.” Pope Francis wrote: “Anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving
love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that
love” (Evangelii gaudium, no. 120). In other words, sharing our Christian
faith, hope and love is not only for professional priests; it is a duty for all
of us: from the womb to the tomb.
In the Acts
of the Apostles we see exactly this “amateur faith in action.” By the way the
word “amateur” come from the Latin word for love (“amo, amare”) and refers to someone who
does something more out of love than for pay, like a professional would. Love
is the difference between an amateur and a professional. Therefore we read in
Acts: “Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be
uneducated, ordinary men” – that’s the key phrase, “uneducated, ordinary men” –
“the leaders and elders were amazed, and they recognized them as companions of
Jesus.” In other words, long before there were seminaries and theologians and
canon law degrees, there were simply Christians who had “truly experienced
God’s saving love and without much time or lengthy training went out to
proclaim that love.” You see, you don’t need a doctorate in theology to be a
companion of Jesus; you just need to fall in love.
You know,
sometimes I invite people to get more involved in some church activity and
almost always people respond by saying they cannot do it because they have no
training or preparation. And to be sure training and preparation are important.
But that is not the essential thing. The only absolutely necessary
qualification is love, and the more love you have for our Lord, the better the
disciple you will be. So, be bold in getting involved as a leader in Bible
study, as a youth minister, as a sacristan, lectors, as a deacon, working in
soup kitchens, and even helping with Bingo on Monday evenings. No one has an
exemption from being a Christian evangelist. St. Paul encouraged young Timothy
saying, “Preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Tim.
4:10). Indeed, we must evangelize from the womb to the tomb, and the more
amateur the apostle, the better.
Praised be J
No comments:
Post a Comment