Wednesday of the
Fourth Week of Easter
(Acts 12:24-13:5a; John 12:44-50)
The prophets and teachers convene to pray in Antioch in
today’s first reading. They should not
be surprised when the Holy Spirit tells them to separate Barnabas and Paul for missionary
activity. From the beginning the Church
has had an outward thrust. It not only promotes
holiness among its members but also calls others to God.
Today’s gospel gives a couple of the themes of Christian missionaries. Jesus is the light of the world. God has sent him to save humans from condemnation. Those who follow Jesus will have eternal
life. Those who reject him will be lost
forever.
In recent years the Church’s missionary dimension has
been called “evangelization.” With this
new name it has an additional focus. Today
the Church’s evangelizing activity addresses those for whom the light of Jesus
has been obscured. It calls back
baptized Catholics who no longer practice the faith they were taught. The evangelizers are people like you and me
who act like prospectors entering an abandoned gold mine. Just as prospectors realize that previous excavations
left a lot of gold behind, we know that many alienated Catholics will respond
if called back to church. We have to
show them how Jesus, the light, makes all the difference in the world.
