Cup of Salvation

Browsing one of the e-newsletters I receive, I came across a site, www.jesuitcommons.org, that looks fairly interesting. This seems like the the missionary arm of the Jesuits. The stories from this particular newsletter, and those related to the website, are powerful in their proclamation and declaring Good News. Today in Africa for instance I wonder if there is a nation that is not undergoing civil war and or internal strife. One commentator once offered that these are simply growing pains for this massive continent. But the lack of peace and the continued human suffering is very disturbing. And throughout the world there are places of ongoing violence and human poverty.

But we still need to proclaim Good News. While the Gospel today offers a peaceful sense of mission and ministry, we can all relate to the chaos that is found in the early community of Acts today. The Gospel will do that. If we take the words of scripture seriously they can challenge us, and cause all sorts of division and discord. But that same Gospel offers us peace and healing when we allow its challenge to take over our lives so as to live as people of reconciliation and peace. Jesus knew this, as did the holy men and women who followed in his path.

The Gospel is proclaimed in the best and worst of times and places. The place where everyone is delighted by the scripture message, holds hands, and sings joyful songs together does not exist. For a long while men and women have gone into foreign lands, that could be very poor and or hostile, and proclaimed the message of Jesus. Sometimes for us those foreign lands can be in our family or neighborhood.

So confident and unafraid we wander through life guided by the Word of God proclaiming and healing just as Jesus taught us to do. Sometimes folks will chase us around with pointy sticks and the like, but we have to speak the truth. There are lots of people who live in poverty and hostility that depend on our faithfulness.