A Very Important Task (Wednesday, Week 25, Year 2, St Pius)

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Shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said to His disciples, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (cf. Matt. 28:19-20). From this command, two tasks are clear: sanctification and instruction. And these two are amongst the three tasks that are regarded as the principal tasks of a bishop or priest: to rule, to sanctify and to teach. The readings of this mass seem to point to one of these tasks: the task of preaching or teaching the Word of God. 

The first reading (Prov. 30:5-9) reminds and warns all of us who preach the Word and listen to it that “every word of God proves true; do not add to his words, lest he rebuke and you be found a liar”. The gospel reading (cf. Luke 9:1-6) narrates the very event of Jesus sending out the Twelve to go and cure diseases, to heal and to preach the kingdom of God. In the two readings, we see that something is being said either about the Word of God or the responsibility to preach it. The task of preaching the Word of God is a great responsibility that spreads across; and it must be taken very seriously by all. And that is why someone like St Paul, recognizing the greatness and urgency of this responsibility, said “woe betide me of I do not preach the gospel”. 

In our time and space, I think it has become very necessary that we pay particular attention to the Word of God because there are so many errors and false teachings flying around. And if care is not taken, people will drift away. What I have discovered over the years is that many people are really hungry for the Word of God. This highlights the urgency of the very call to preach. In order to bring this out more clearly, Jesus instructed the disciples as they were preparing to leave for preaching that they should take nothing for the journey, no staff, no money, no bread. In other words, He was trying to let them understand how urgent the call is. People are so hungry for the word of God that they want to listen to or read up anything that may sound like the Word of God. We thank God that many are making sincere efforts to re-present the Word of God as it is. But there are certain things that can militate against sound proclamation of God’s word.

The first reading mentioned one of them: deprivation and greed. That is why the wise man prayed that God should not give him poverty or riches: “Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny you, and say, ‘Who is the Lord’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of the Lord” (Prov. 5:8-9). There is so much greed in the business of preaching the Word of God in our time. It is all about money. Sometimes, some preachers resort to spreading falsehood and selling the gospel for material gains instead of presenting the word of God as it is. Let us beware! The wise man prays, “Lord, don’t give me riches lest I be full and deny you”. Sometimes, lack of funds and other things needed for the training and sustenance of those who preach may also militate against the task of preaching the Word of God. The wise man also prays, “Lord, don’t give me poverty lest I be poor and steal and profane Your name”. All of us have a role to play in making sure that the Word of God reaches the end of the earth. Let us all be committed to that.        



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