Christians, are you ready?

Today is Mission Sunday. All the readings are exciting.

In the second reading, St. Paul gave Timothy some practical advice in evangelization despise all sorts of shortcomings and failures. As a bishop consecrated by God, Timothy should work exclusively for the will of God who is our Saviour and
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.. (1 Timothy 2:4).
If there were one soul which God was unable to save, God would not be worthy to be a God. This verse gives us optimism in evangelization. All men can be saved no matter how stubborn they are or how morally evil they are. Even our enemies and those who oppose our efforts, God is able to find ways to change their hearts. Patience and tolerance will bear fruits. The prayers of agonizing parents over their children will not go unanswered.

In the first reading, Zechariah gave us a challenging vision.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23)
Christians, you are the religious successors of the Jews. So, are you ready for such a day on which people beg you to tell them more about your God? Such a day has been designed by God long before your coming into existence. When that day comes, are your prepared/equipped to explain to people why it is good to believe in your God?

So, how is your God better than other deities? Simple.
Firstly, our God is almighty. Heavens and earth were His creation. Most civilizations have their own creation myths. But the creation myth in Genesis agrees with the findings of modern sciences. The Big-Bang Theory and Evolution Theory find their inspiration from Genesis 1.
Secondly, our God loves us. Most other deities can be bribed and manipulated to do us good. Our God cannot be and need not be bribed. Instead, He took the initiatives to bring us to safety by sacrificing His only beloved Son for our sins. The Son of God incarnated and lived among us as Jesus of Nazareth two thousands years ago in Judaea. In complete obedience to the will of God the Father, the Son of God died on the cross to deliver us from the bondage of sins.
Thirdly, the Son of God sent the Holy Spirit to unite his followers into a Church. While other religions are exclusive, meaning those who are members of the religion can benefit from joining the religion, the Christian Church is Catholic in outlook, meaning salvation is for all men (1 Timothy 2:4), not just for an exclusive group. She is more inclusive and universal. The Holy Spirit is still working through the Church to redeem and transform the world.

However, be forewarned that believing in Christianity is not at all easy. It is difficult in both their faith tenets as well as their code of living. Not only do they go to Church on Sundays, but their sexual ethics are also known to be very demanding. Divorce is forbidden. Homosexuality and transsexualism are frowned upon. Politically, they opt for the poor and fight for social justice. Consequently, they often stand in opposition to the status quo and clash with the State.
 Theologically, their faith tenets are mind-boggling. They believe in one God, yet there are Three Persons in this one God. Why the trouble? Why not simply believe in three Gods? They believe that Jesus is both truly human and truly divine. Jesus is unique in the sense that he is the only God-man in human history. In other religions, their founders were mere mortals but at last attained divinity. But Christianity is different in the sense that the divine incarnated and took on humanity. The divinity of the Son of God did not destroy or absorb the humanity of Jesus such that there is a wonderful union in which the divinity and humanity retain their independence.
Worse still, the mother of Jesus becomes the Mother of God. Those who deny Mary this title denies the divinity of Jesus! How can God allow a human being to be His mother? If your only accept Mary as the Mother of the Son of God, you go against the dogma of monotheism. There is only One God, not three!
The worst of all, a nightmare to the Jews, from now on, it is legitimate to make icons and images of Jesus and saints because Jesus is the image of God (John 14:9). If you want to show off your purity of faith by smashing all these images, you deny the humanity of Jesus! It is really challenging to be a believer of Christ these days in a pluralistic environment. You have to respect other cultures and religions. Moreover, you have to love, even your Muslim neighbour who is living next door. Lest you still have any doubt about the severity of the challenge, just read the gospel of Mark. Just before he was taken up into heaven, Jesus instructed his followers to preach the good news to the whole creation, not just pagans or infidels (Mark 16:15)! Surely my youngest son will be all too happy to speak to his turtles about how much God loves them! Do you respect and love the environment, its grass and the waters, as a steward should be and relieve them of their agony?

Dear Lord, it is our privilege to become your followers, your ambassadors to bring reconciliation to the whole creation. We are blessed. Amen.