“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” This command seems to explain Paul’s calling, whose conversion we celebrate today. Perhaps more than anyone else, Paul made this command the core of his life.
But the most striking thing in Jesus’ request is that he is not excluding anyone from receiving the Good News. Jesus does not tell his disciples to announce the Gospel only to some chosen group of people. “To the whole creation” means that we should never deem our being witnesses of the Gospel as being inopportune or untimely – no matter who we are with. No cultural difference, no moral choice, no human condition is extraneous to the proclamation of the Gospel.
We should just ask ourselves what the Gospel helps us understand – and not whether announcing it is convenient. The history of the Church abounds in examples of saints who proclaimed the Gospel with their words, others with their works, others their mere presence. There is no single way to announce the Good News of the Gospel. But the duty to proclaim it certainly applies to every Christian.
It would be good if each of us wondered what to proclaim means in our concrete living circumstances. A doctor is not asked to preach at the hospital – but to find new ways to care for his or her patients. A father is not asked to pray in front of the tabernacle three hours a day every day, but perhaps he should teach his children that love is a reliable thing.
What is asked of me? How am I sharing the Good News?
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Father Luigi Maria Epicoco is a priest of the Aquila Diocese and teaches Philosophy at the Pontifical Lateran University and at the ISSR ‘Fides et ratio,’ Aquila. He dedicates himself to preaching, especially for the formation of laity and religious, giving conferences, retreats and days of recollection. He has authored numerous books and articles. Since 2021, he has served as the Ecclesiastical Assistant in the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and columnist for the Vatican’s daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano.
