Fr Antonio Pineda
he first reading this Sunday is about evangelisation. When we think of evangelisation, which all Christians are called to do, we are probably less than enthusiastic. We may lack the eagerness to go travelling far and wide as Paul and Barnabas did. We think of the “many hardships” that these two apostles experienced as they went from town to town proclaiming the good news (Acts 14:22). And perhaps we say to ourselves, “I can’t do that!”
But remember this: God does not choose the equipped, but rather equips the chosen. Paul and Barnabas’ effectiveness came from “what God had done with them,” not from their own natural abilities (Acts 14:27). Their success in one town and failure in another did not depend on their public speaking skills or their theological knowledge. The only thing they did was share the story of Jesus and their experience of his salvation. They left everything else to the Holy Spirit because they knew that only he could change people’s hearts.
And it is the same for us. Our call to become a “missionary disciple” is nothing more—and nothing less—than the call to our love of God and neighbour. We don’t have to explain all of Scripture or defend every Church teaching. Often, we don’t even have to say anything! The witness of our lives may be all that’s necessary to spark in someone a greater desire to seek out the Lord for themselves.
The key is not what we say, but what God does with what we say. It’s not about rhetorics; it’s about the power of the Spirit to touch someone’s heart. And that’s not something we control. The only thing we can do is speak from the heart and leave the rest to the Lord.