Sharing the Gospel with the world
June 10, 2023 - Saturday, 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Tobit 13:2, 6efgh, 7, 8
The book of Tobit accompanied us throughout this week narrating the story of God’s mercy in one Jewish family that lived in exile. Today, our responsorial psalm is also taken from the book of Tobit. We hear a fragment from a thanksgiving prayer of Tobit. The prayer begins with a very powerful statement that good and bad fortune is in God’s hands and that “no one can escape His hand” (Tobit 13:2). Tobit together with other authors of the Old Testament consider God’s punishment for sins as having healing and educational purpose. It aims to bring us to repentance. The moment we acknowledge our sins and turn to God for forgiveness and help, the Lord shows us his mercy.
But, the verse that catches my attention is the one in which Tobit declares that “in the land of my exile I praise him and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation” (Tobit 13:8). In 1990, Nicky Gumbel, a former atheist and then an Anglican priest, developed a course that seeks to introduce the basics of Christianity. The course has become known in the world as Alpha. As of 2023, 30 million people across the globe have been through the course. And this year on Easter in China, 44 thousand people were baptised after the course. Why is he so passionate about sharing the Gospel?
When you fall in love with Jesus you cannot but share your passion with others. When a Catholic sister was asked by someone who is her idol, she showed the image of the blessed sacrament and said: He is my “idol”. The other person was spellbound and then asked: can you introduce me to Him? Jesus sends us to the whole world to proclaim the Good News. Our Lord knows that the Gospel is the only medicine to the sickness of the human heart. And the people of the world deep in their hearts are longing for an encounter with the living Christ.
“In the land of my exile I praise him and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation” (Tobit 13:8). Pope Francis on May 17, 2023, told the young people that if they want to make a difference in the world they should consider to become missionaries. He told them to consider the many people in the world who need Jesus. And then, he spoke about the joy of evangelisation and called the Gospel “this very beautiful message that makes us, and everyone, happy”. Do we have this passion for Christ? Does the joy of the Gospel burn within our hearts?
In ten years we will celebrate the jubilee of 2000 years from Jesus’ death and resurrection. Nicky Gumbel and his team aim to reach 100 million people with the Gospel through the Alpha course by 2033. How about us?