Tuesday of the 4th week of Easter year A
Theme: The word of God
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Athanasius, bishop, and doctor of the church. He was a man who loved God so very much, and this is seen in the way he lived his life and served God. In view of this, we are all encouraged today to emulate St. Athanasius, by living a life that is good and pleasing to God. Our Ancestors in faith worked very hard in the propagation of the good news, just like the saint whose memorial we celebrate today. In the 1st reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the persecution after the death of Steven brought about the spread of the word of God. This time it went beyond the Jewish people to other groups, and God proved himself in his manifestations in the life of the people.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, as the word of God continued to spread, the number of the followers of Christ continued to increase, because more people continued to indicate interest to be part of the group. One of the things we must learn from the increase in the number of believers, is the fact that if we play our own role of preaching the word of God to others, the grace of God will bless our words and touch the hearts of our listeners. This fact is very clear since the resurrection of Christ and the number of people who opted to be among the followers of Christ. This brings me to a very important question, what are your contributions towards the propagation of the word of God?
In our own time, we can do this through our way of life and sharing the word of God with people in different ways. Never think you are capable to spread the good news. None of us is qualified, at baptism we are already empowered by God, as priests’ prophets and kings. We can begin to preach Christ by witnessing with our daily life. It begins with you! I want you to know that the mandate from Christ, that we go and make disciples of all the nations, is for all of us as children of God. It is time for us to contribute our quota towards the propagation of the good news of Christ. Remember, it is never too late for us to respond to this wonderful invitation presented to us today by the word of God. As we resolve today to bear fruits for the kingdom of God through the intercession of St. Athanasius, may almighty God bless you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.