The challenge of proclaiming the Good News
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news, announcing salvation.”
—Isaiah 52:7
By Fr. Ron Will, CPPS
Every Sunday during church, we listen to a reading from the Gospels. On any given Sunday, I am willing to bet, the average churchgoer can’t remember what they just heard five seconds after the reading. If that describes you, don’t feel bad; you are not alone.
Most people cannot remember what was read because they have not been prepared to listen. The Gospel passages read on a Sunday morning may not feel connected to the rest of your life. But it is connected. Learning how to connect those dots will make you a better listener, which is why you want to consider joining us for:
A Day with the Sunday Gospels according to Matthew
on Saturday, November 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Sunday readings for the next year will come from the Gospel According to Matthew. Matthew has his own unique insights about Jesus. If you understand some of those insights yourself you will be better able to convey them to your congregation. This one day will prepare you for the next year.
Lectors and Gospel readers have been charged with bringing the Good News to their congregations. As it says in Isaiah: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the one who brings good news, announcing salvation.” (Isaiah 52:7)
If you have accepted that ministry, do you ever wonder how well you are meeting that challenge? Do you want to become more effective? You deserve it. Your congregation deserves it. If lectors themselves do not understand the words that they are proclaiming, the word of God will not be effective in the lives of their congregation.
Scripture is the living word of God. That means that a particular passage speaks to us now, 2000 years later, to the particular situations that we face today as much as it did to the original audience. Scripture is the living word of God.
Take advantage of learning as much as you can about the Gospel according to Matthew which will be read throughout the new liturgical year. Register now for the November 9 “Day with the Sunday Gospels according Matthew.”
The image above “Brief an dich / Letter for you” by kruemi is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Related
Lent Video One — God’s Invitation: Turn to Me
During the season of Lent, God calls us to turn toward him and develop a more personal relationship. The first episode of this Lenten series begins with a song by John Foley, “Turn to Me.” Fr. Ron says of this song, “It sets the tone of this reflection and the reflections to come. It also speaks to the anxiety some of us are experiencing.
What do you do, after the ashes rub off?
The smudges of ashes on foreheads on Ash Wednesday are a powerful, sometimes moving, witness of the power of God’s love to draw all back to the Creator. But what do you do, after the ashes rub off?