Self-Transformation as a Precondition for Gospel Proclamation (Contd):
Presence of the Spirit: There can be no new life in us without the presence and working of the Holy Spirit within us. The whole of redemption wrought by Jesus Christ resulted in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on peoples of all nations. How do we know that we have the Spirit of God and are not merely under the illusion of having Him? There are ways and means for the faithful to distinguish the true spirit from the false ones. We see in Acts 6: 3 how the twelve Apostles are asking the disciples to choose from among them seven men full of the Spirit and of Wisdom to wait at table. This shows that the true followers of Christ are able to discern the Spirit. At the same time, it is also true that there is a possibility of fighting against the Holy Spirit (See Acts, 8: 51).
Therefore, it is imperative to be led by the Holy Spirit Himself and not by our imaginations and secret self-interests. For, a whole psychic world is operative within us which, if not brought under the control of the Holy Spirit , can wreak havoc in our lives. It is not the same to think that we are led by the Spirit and in fact to be led by the Spirit. The former may be a mere product of our imagination, whereas the latter is founded on reality. How do we know whether a person is really having the Holy Spirit within him or her or whether the person is merely under the impression of having the Spirit? We shall know this not from what the person says about himself or herself but from what the person does; his or her behavior-patterns, life style, attitudes, relationships. etc., which will reveal to us about the spirit within him or her. We don't expect a holy person to announce that he or she is holy; so do we least expect a truly charismatic person to proclaim his or her gifts of the Spirit. Without taking any help from the person concerned, we are able to discern the true spirit if we ourselves are governed by the Holy Spirit.
Intoxication by the Holy Spirit is not like the intoxication experienced by means of drugs where you have flights of fancy unrelated to the daily realities of life. On the contrary, a person who has really drunk the Holy Spirit is full of compassion for the weak and the suffering in the world and becomes more and more human involving oneself more deeply into the human reality. Weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice, such a person becomes everything to everybody. He or she no longer lives for himself or herself but for others for love of Jesus. Such people will be standing for truth and non-violence and will forgive everyone at all times loving even their enemies not less than their friends. Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit will be open to others' views, but will not be bothered about undue criticism leveled against them even by their dear ones. For, Jesus himself faced the same reality as we read: "For even his brothers had no faith in him" (John, 7: 5).
The Gospel to the Poor: The Gospel or the Good news is specially meant for the poor and the downtrodden as we see from the prophet Isaiah 6: 1- 2 and the Gospel of Luke, 4: 18-19. Does it mean that the rich and the empowered are not targeted by the proclamation of the Gospel? We know that the Gospel is proclaimed for the salvation of the whole world and yet the poor have a privileged place in the plan of God. It is they who will eagerly listen to the Word of God and live by true faith. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the rich and the privileged of this world to respond to the invitation of God proclaimed through the Gospel. This again reminds us of the need for self-transformation to become poor in spirit. Jesus himself revealed the difficulty of the rich in entering the Kingdom of God by saying that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God (See Luke, 18: 25). The disciples understood the message and that is why they asked Jesus how it was possible for anyone to be saved if the requirements were so stringent. Jesus replied that only God was able to accomplish the salvation of men and women and that they only needed to acknowledge it.
In the context of the theme of Gospel Proclamation, it is evident that unless we who proclaim the Gospel are identified with the poor and the oppressed , we shall never be able to effectively proclaim the Gospel. Identification of ourselves with the poor means that we put ourselves in their shoes and start facing life. We are not allowed to be unconcerned about the plight of the dispossessed and the disabled nor are we able to get away with a diplomatic and condescending attitude. It is not enough just to be tolerant towards the downtrodden while we ourselves live a life of luxury and comfort without actively doing things to empower them.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus (See Luke, 16: 19-31) elucidates the relationship between the rich and the poor and how it impacts our entry into the Kingdom of God. The rich man did not mind the poor Lazarus lying at his gate although he was covered with wounds licked by dogs. Exactly that attitude of unconcern was the rich man's sin against God's plan for the rich and the poor. The rich man was tolerant and even condescending by allowing Lazarus to stay at his gate waiting eagerly for some crumbs that might fall from his table. He did not find it inconvenient that such a wretched fellow was an eye-sore polluting the beautiful environment of his palace. We might even say that he was sufficiently human in not evicting Lazarus to a far away place. Yet, it was not enough for the rich man to gain entry into the Kingdom of God!
Unless our entire attitude and outlook change for the better and we are able to identify ourselves with the poor and the downtrodden, we cannot proclaim the Gospel. The reason for this is that the Gospel is a liberating power for all those who are subdued and neglected, which can only be preached by those who are genuinely liberated. (To be Contd).
Presence of the Spirit: There can be no new life in us without the presence and working of the Holy Spirit within us. The whole of redemption wrought by Jesus Christ resulted in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on peoples of all nations. How do we know that we have the Spirit of God and are not merely under the illusion of having Him? There are ways and means for the faithful to distinguish the true spirit from the false ones. We see in Acts 6: 3 how the twelve Apostles are asking the disciples to choose from among them seven men full of the Spirit and of Wisdom to wait at table. This shows that the true followers of Christ are able to discern the Spirit. At the same time, it is also true that there is a possibility of fighting against the Holy Spirit (See Acts, 8: 51).
Therefore, it is imperative to be led by the Holy Spirit Himself and not by our imaginations and secret self-interests. For, a whole psychic world is operative within us which, if not brought under the control of the Holy Spirit , can wreak havoc in our lives. It is not the same to think that we are led by the Spirit and in fact to be led by the Spirit. The former may be a mere product of our imagination, whereas the latter is founded on reality. How do we know whether a person is really having the Holy Spirit within him or her or whether the person is merely under the impression of having the Spirit? We shall know this not from what the person says about himself or herself but from what the person does; his or her behavior-patterns, life style, attitudes, relationships. etc., which will reveal to us about the spirit within him or her. We don't expect a holy person to announce that he or she is holy; so do we least expect a truly charismatic person to proclaim his or her gifts of the Spirit. Without taking any help from the person concerned, we are able to discern the true spirit if we ourselves are governed by the Holy Spirit.
Intoxication by the Holy Spirit is not like the intoxication experienced by means of drugs where you have flights of fancy unrelated to the daily realities of life. On the contrary, a person who has really drunk the Holy Spirit is full of compassion for the weak and the suffering in the world and becomes more and more human involving oneself more deeply into the human reality. Weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice, such a person becomes everything to everybody. He or she no longer lives for himself or herself but for others for love of Jesus. Such people will be standing for truth and non-violence and will forgive everyone at all times loving even their enemies not less than their friends. Those who are guided by the Holy Spirit will be open to others' views, but will not be bothered about undue criticism leveled against them even by their dear ones. For, Jesus himself faced the same reality as we read: "For even his brothers had no faith in him" (John, 7: 5).
The Gospel to the Poor: The Gospel or the Good news is specially meant for the poor and the downtrodden as we see from the prophet Isaiah 6: 1- 2 and the Gospel of Luke, 4: 18-19. Does it mean that the rich and the empowered are not targeted by the proclamation of the Gospel? We know that the Gospel is proclaimed for the salvation of the whole world and yet the poor have a privileged place in the plan of God. It is they who will eagerly listen to the Word of God and live by true faith. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the rich and the privileged of this world to respond to the invitation of God proclaimed through the Gospel. This again reminds us of the need for self-transformation to become poor in spirit. Jesus himself revealed the difficulty of the rich in entering the Kingdom of God by saying that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God (See Luke, 18: 25). The disciples understood the message and that is why they asked Jesus how it was possible for anyone to be saved if the requirements were so stringent. Jesus replied that only God was able to accomplish the salvation of men and women and that they only needed to acknowledge it.
In the context of the theme of Gospel Proclamation, it is evident that unless we who proclaim the Gospel are identified with the poor and the oppressed , we shall never be able to effectively proclaim the Gospel. Identification of ourselves with the poor means that we put ourselves in their shoes and start facing life. We are not allowed to be unconcerned about the plight of the dispossessed and the disabled nor are we able to get away with a diplomatic and condescending attitude. It is not enough just to be tolerant towards the downtrodden while we ourselves live a life of luxury and comfort without actively doing things to empower them.
The story of the rich man and Lazarus (See Luke, 16: 19-31) elucidates the relationship between the rich and the poor and how it impacts our entry into the Kingdom of God. The rich man did not mind the poor Lazarus lying at his gate although he was covered with wounds licked by dogs. Exactly that attitude of unconcern was the rich man's sin against God's plan for the rich and the poor. The rich man was tolerant and even condescending by allowing Lazarus to stay at his gate waiting eagerly for some crumbs that might fall from his table. He did not find it inconvenient that such a wretched fellow was an eye-sore polluting the beautiful environment of his palace. We might even say that he was sufficiently human in not evicting Lazarus to a far away place. Yet, it was not enough for the rich man to gain entry into the Kingdom of God!
Unless our entire attitude and outlook change for the better and we are able to identify ourselves with the poor and the downtrodden, we cannot proclaim the Gospel. The reason for this is that the Gospel is a liberating power for all those who are subdued and neglected, which can only be preached by those who are genuinely liberated. (To be Contd).
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