With all humility to both St. John the Evangelist and the
inerrancy of Sacred Scripture, there was a mistake in our Gospel today. John writes, “It was winter…” Did he
get 50 inches of snow in Israel in April? I think not!
We
have been hearing from the Acts of the Apostles of how the Church grew in its
very beginnings. People are
converting by the masses to this new faith, which is first called Christianity
in Antioch. In seeing the success
of the apostles and disciples we might think they were very smart, eloquent
speakers or truly special.
Actually, in one sense they were quite ordinary. In fact, you are more educated than
fishermen.
Yet
St. John Chrysostom, in one of my favorite quotes, iterates, “For the deeds
done by fishermen and tax collectors, the kings, philosophers and countless
multitudes cannot begin to imagine.”
Remember, the Church was founded, not on geniuses, but on simple men and
women.
But
at the end of the day we must remember, we don’t need to rely on our strengths
and merits to proclaim the Gospel.
Just like the early disciples and apostles, we must simply be faithful
to Jesus Christ. He is, after all,
one with the Father, and is the one we want to proclaim. When we align our will with his we
allow him to work. And then God
can do amazing things in spreading the Gospel now as then.
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