“Behold new things have come” [2 Corinthians 5:17]

Proclamation of the Good News

Evangelisation is the spreading of the Good News of the kngdom to all Creation. At the beginning of Jesus Christ earthly ministry, he chose and sent out disciples from different backgrounds to each household, saying, “Peace to this household” [Luke 10:5].Later, the 72 disciples returned with joy. Bringing peace and good tidings to others is such a joyful experience.

It is the mission of every Christian to proclaim of the Good News and it is only right that we should be joyful in spreading it to all. It is important to remember that joy is mutually perceptible. We can sense whether someone is really happy by the way they look, by their face and by their behaviour. In other words, if we, as Christians, are to spread joy in the world and teach others to be part of it, we must first be joyful people ourselves. 

However, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when we have a hard time getting together, and when we have masks on our faces for so long that it is hard to smile, how can we remain joyful in the midst of adversity? And even more, how do we spread the Good News to those who are suffering?

St. Paul the Apostle, who travelled far and wide for evangelisation work, is certainly an example to us. Despite all the hardships, he exhorted the faithful: “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18].

It is true that we can always rejoice in the Lord, whenever and wherever we live, but only if we always pray, if we are united with God in our lives, and if we are always thankful in good times and bad, then nothing “nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Romans 8:39]. A joyful heart in the Lord is the starting point for the evangelisation of the faithful, which in turn is carried out in thoughts, words and deeds, so that God’s love and joy can be spread and supported to everyone around us.

The gospel is not only to be proclaimed, but also to be lived out. evangelising touches the heart because of our faith, our close relationship with others, the work we have done through love and all testimony. It is true that the gospel we proclaim is the eternal love of God, but the way we proclaim the gospel should always change and evolve with the times, just as Jesus did not recite the classics, but often used parables and examples in everyday life to explain the truth about the Kingdom of God to people, so that the seeds of the gospel can be sown in the hearts of every generation.

“Behold, news things have come” [2 Corinthians 5:17] provides an opportunity to evangelise, to be renewed in the midst of today’s rapidly changing times. In particular, we should follow the example of Jesus Christ and tirelessly seek ways of expressing the truth. In the old days, the apostles travelled to everywhere to spread the gospel; today we can do this through Internet. Even though the pandemic has made it difficult for us to leave our homes, as long as we have a heart for evangelism, we are not hindered from spreading the spirit of the gospel and acts of love in different ways, such as through words, language, animation and images.

In the generation in which we live are we willing to take a step forward in evangelising within the limits of what we have? Are we willing to share with others the joy of God being with us? 

Lenten Campaign Organising Committee, 2022