We are writing a gospel little by
little, day by day. It’s the gospel of you, the gospel of me. What kind of
gospel will it be?
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The gospels were written to tell
the world about Jesus and to spread the good news that God loves us and calls
us to love and take care of one another. Officially the Church recognizes only
four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But in reality there are many, many gospels. Just at our 10:00 AM
Sunday Mass alone there are over 200 gospels in the making.
One of my teachers in diaconal
formation made a point that has stayed with me over the years: each of us is
writing a gospel, little by little, day by day. It is the gospel of you; the
gospel of me — for each of our lives is a living gospel.
And by writing our gospel we are
making Jesus present in our world. We are doing with our lives and our actions
what Father will do with his hands when he consecrates and elevates the
Eucharist.
In the end, our gospel can be
truly beautiful. But how it turns out depends on our understanding of what
Jesus wants from us, and how we translate that understanding into the way we
interact with others and live out our lives.
So, what kind of gospel are we
writing today?
Are we writing a gospel that shows
by our actions that the quality of our Catholic faith is
measured not by how well we celebrate
our liturgies, but by how – as Saint James tells us in his
New Testament letter – we care for and stand with those
on the fringes of society: the poor, the vulnerable, the unlovable, the
disenfranchised? For that is where we
find Christ.
Are we writing a gospel that shows
by our actions that every human being is made in the image and likeness of God,
and that all human life is sacred – from womb to tomb, from unborn child to the terminally
ill; from prisoners of war to the prisoner on death row?
Are we writing a gospel that shows
by our actions that each and every
person is a beloved child of God and deserves to be treated with dignity,
respect, kindness and love - regardless of race, religion, gender, economic
status, or sexual orientation?
Are we
writing a gospel that shows by our actions that God has entrusted this planet
to us; that we are not owners of the earth but rather stewards —
caretakers, of God’s creation?
When we look around, when we read
the papers or watch the news, we can see a world that is hungry for the gospel,
the good news of Jesus Christ. That good news, that gospel can come alive in
our little corner of the world through our lives, our actions and our love.
We are writing a gospel little by
little, day by day. It is the gospel of you, the gospel of me. What kind of a
gospel will it be?
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Readers of this blog might enjoy these
books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:
Just to Follow My Friend:
Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life
Synchronicity as the Work of
the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
