January 19

  I recently came across a Facebook posting with the subject as an open letter to the Church about why people are leaving it. After reading that post, the two things that struck me were: 1) it seems that the Church is attempting to imitate the world’s standards, in which style means everything and substance means nothing; and 2) even if the local small-c church is willing to embrace its roots and mission, there’s a great deal of inertia in the big-c church to overcome in order to get the change going.

            People, as a rule, just don’t like change. I know; I’m one of them. But change happens all throughout the Bible. For example, the story of Peter just before he meets the Roman Cornelius in Acts 10. He has three visions, the upshot of which is that the Gospel is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike, and not just for a certain group of people.

            That was a big change for Peter, who had grown up as a Jew, and whose feelings for Gentiles were at best a form of mild contempt. Yet despite his initial resistance, he allowed himself to feel the change and to embrace the message of love to all. To rework the old saying, “God said it; I believe it; that settles it,” I think the message we should all be heeding is, as author Barbara Johnson said, “God said it; I believe it; that settles it…but God may be trying something new here, so I think I should listen to this.”

            The Gospel is for all of us. The question is not, “Who are the people chosen to receive the Gospel?” The question is, “How can we spread this knowledge to others…and make it real to everyone?” In other words, let’s not just say it…let’s do it, too.

 Lord, help us to remember and practice the saying of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” We know we need to do it and not just say it. Grant us the courage and wisdom to do just that. Amen.