Spreading the Good News

God is with us.

15 He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. 18 They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. 20 But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.-Mark16:15-20

As followers of Jesus, we too are given the task to "go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature." There are many ways to do this - preach, teach, evangelize, catechize, spreading the Word in print or online, newsletters, verbally quoting a Gospel text, etc. Sometimes we cannot see the effect of our actions, and sometimes we do. Sometimes there are signs, sometimes we cannot see the signs. But one thing is certain, Jesus is working with us and guiding us every step of the way as we fulfill our duty of helping proclaim the Gospel to all creatures.

Image courtesy: artist

The signs are everywhere

The signs are everywhere!

29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.-Luke11:29-32

We all know the story of Jonah. He was chosen for a mission. But for whatever reason, he tried to escape.

 But during a violent sea storm while escaping in a boat, something happened. He asked to be thrown into the sea where immediately the storm calmed down. Meanwhile, a large fish swallowed Jonah where he stayed for three days and three nights. After praying and embracing his mission, God commanded that the fish spew Jonah out. Then he went to Nineveh and prophesied that unless they change, their city will be destroyed after 40 days. Everybody repented - from the king to the animals. God was touched and changed His mind. He withdrew His anger from the people of Nineveh.

Our world is like a modern day Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah. The sins of the past are here again. But these sins are 'beautifully and carefully' packaged (sic) as essential to economic growth, business expansion, depopulation strategy, peace and so much more (sic). Are we living in a peaceful world that encourages making nuclear and biochemical weapons? We cry and lament over soldiers that are beheaded, tortured and incarcerated.

But do we cry when innocent babies are aborted and killed? We cry and lament over the ill effects of drugs, cigarettes and liquors to ourselves and loved ones. But why is it that there is a move to legitimize drugs in other countries? Why is it that cigarette smoking and drinking of liquors are still portrayed as cool stuff? The world no longer care about virginity and purity to such an extent that people go naked and even encouraged sexually-themed ads, commercials, and the like.

But Jesus is here and cries in a loud voice, "Repent!" Everyday He shouts, "Repent! Change your ways!"

Everyday the Blessed Mother sheds tears for us. But what are we doing? Why are we stone-hearted? Why can't we heed to this invitation of change?

Thanks for the images!