Paul begins today’s epistle by stating his credentials. “I’m a servant of Christ,” he says “and I’ve been called to proclaim the gospel of God.” And that’s what he did, fearlessly and with energy and imagination till the day he died: preaching, debating, writing letters, and even challenging St. Peter to rethink some of his most cherished ideas.
Paul was special, no doubt about it. But there’s something important that every one of us Christians has in common with him, namely, that we’re all called to proclaim God’s good news. We have that call by virtue of our Baptism. For each of us, answering that call will take a different shape, depending upon our gifts. Most of us won’t be preachers or debaters or writers of great letters, and that’s probably a mercy in a world of too much talk! But all of us face the challenge of crafting a lifestyle that unambiguously proclaims the Good News.
What would such a lifestyle look like? If we believe that God is a loving father who has destined us for eternal life with him, and if we believe that the only way to reach our destiny is to become like our father — in other words, to become first-class lovers — then our lives are going to take on quite a distinctive shape. If we really believe, even our faces will look different: peaceful, confident, happy, and free of fear.
And that brings us to today’s question: What kind of news is your lifestyle proclaiming to the world? What is your face telling all who see it? Is it good news? I hope so, but if it’s not, why settle for second best even one more day? Take in the Lord’s Good News and let it shine from the inside out.