From Fr Giovanni: One Final Thought

‘We have a Gospel to proclaim.’ This is the opening line of the well-known hymn we had as the recessional at the 11 o’clock Mass last Sunday. When I chose this hymn, I had a couple of things in mind. Firstly, I was aware I was leaving, and that it was my last Mass in the parish. Secondly, I was mindful that proclaiming the Gospel is a responsibility we all share as Christians.

We have a Gospel to proclaim. Preaching the Gospel is one of the main tasks priests receive at their consecration. Priests are moved from one parish to the next – both for their own benefit and for the benefit of the people in the parish.

Priests are moved for their own benefit because preaching is never a one-way activity. Consciously or unconsciously, preachers have the congregation they preach to in mind; preparing for preaching means asking the Holy Spirit to show us what is relevant for the congregation. Depending on the congregation, the Holy Spirit can give different insights that inform the preacher as well as the people preached to.

Priests are also moved for the benefit of the parishioners. The Gospel is the same, but each preacher preaches it differently. This is quite obvious when we consider that there is more to preaching than giving a lecture. The entire human and spiritual life of the priest, and his outlook on things, is inevitably incorporated in his preaching. I have to move on, to preach the Gospel to other people; someone else will come to preach the same Gospel with renewed freshness and vigour and a different point of view. This is why being moved is enriching for everyone.

Preaching the Gospel is not an exclusive responsibility for ordained ministers; it is a responsibility for all the baptised. On the evening of his election, Pope Leo emphasised the importance for the Church to be a missionary Church. If we really want to be a missionary Church, we need to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Gospel; we can’t give others what we don’t have ourselves. We can only be steeped in the Gospel if we pray, if we open our minds and hearts to the work of the Holy Spirit. We want to be so saturated of God that we can’t help bur share it with the people around us. When the Holy Spirit has taken over our lives, then indeed we have a Gospel to proclaim.