One invitation of the readings of this past week is to preach the Good News.
I suspect that for most people these days, the word “preach” comes with some negative baggage. It evokes someone telling us things with some overtones of moralising, judgement or earnest advice. Given the poor quality of some of the preaching we may encounter on Sundays, we may even associate preaching with being bored or patronised. Most of us like to discover things for ourselves or in conversation with someone we
respect but are often resistant to being ‘’told what to do.”
And, when there is a disconnect between what we hear being said in a sermon and what we see being lived by the one preaching, we switch off immediately. It doesn’t feel authentic.
The preaching of Jesus and Paul was compelling. Why? Because it was a message of
good news and hope. It was also effective because there was no gap between their words and how they lived.
How are we called to “preach” or to “proclaim the good news?”
St Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises, said: “love expresses itself more in deeds than words.” It doesn’t mean that words don’t matter but that
our actions may be even more powerful. How we are called to proclaim the good news in our context will depend on who the people we intersect with are and what they most long to hear. What language will be most helpful to them? It isn’t beneficial to use religious language if we know it that will jar for them or simply not resonate with them.
Sharing what matters most to us, being open to learning, being
genuinely interested in another’s life and experience, and being vulnerable enough to share something of our lives impacts our authentic and mutual relationship with others.
We live in a world where religion has turned people off. So many of our children and grandchildren are not taken to church because the message their parents received was not one they experienced as life-giving, compelling and hope-filled.
“Preaching” at them will drive them further away. But living deeply out of our relationship with Christ may touch people we meet in ways we can’t foresee. It might rekindle hope and a desire to encounter the One who so clearly gives our lives a sense of meaning and purpose.
