Preach the Gospel

by Fr. John Granato  |  07/14/2024  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

In the Gospel of Mark today, we hear Jesus tell his disciples to preach the Good News. But we also hear him say to his disciples that “whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” Jesus was sent by the Father to reconcile the Twelve Tribes of Israel and bring forth the Kingdom of God. He was also sent so that no one may be lost; the Father desires the salvation of all. But we also know that there are some who will not be saved. They will reject the offer from our Lord.

There are some people today who truly believe that everyone will be saved and everyone will go to heaven, even if they are not Christian or even a believer in some other deity. This runs contrary to the words of our Lord in the gospels. We do not know who will be saved and who will be damned. But Jesus clearly did say that the goats will be separated from the sheep. Jesus did not, nor did he ask his disciples to, water down the faith. Jesus is merciful, but he does not force his good news on us. He leaves us open to hearing the good news and accepting it or rejecting it. In a sense, when it comes to the teachings of our Catholic faith, it is a similar notion that we hear today. The bishops and priests are called to teach the fullness of the faith and to allow people to either accept or reject the teachings. They are not called to change the teachings so that people who are rejecting our Lord’s invitation may start to accept it. For example, if I want to join a fan club for Beyonce, they would expect me to be a fan of Beyonce. They would not be happy if all of a sudden I say that maybe we should change our fan club to Taylor Swift because she has more followers. You join a club or a group or an association or a religious order or a Christian church because you believe in that entity and all for which it stands. To join a group and demand that it changes its teachings to suit you is disingenuous. Jesus allows people to walk away from him, but like a Good Shepherd and a merciful Father to the Prodigal Son, he is always searching and seeking his lost sheep. He wants to save us and set us free from sin. God bless.