SERMON AT MASS DAILY, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012

MISSIONARIES:

BRINGING THE GOSPEL TO PEOPLE

BRINGING PEOPLE TO THE GOSPEL

ISA. 41: 13-20; MATT. 11: 11-15

SERMON AT MASS DAILY,

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2012

FROM SURABAYA TO SOVERDI WORLD

P. BENEDICT BERE MALI, SVD

An old proverb says "you can take a horse to the water, but you can't force that horse to drink from it.” It means that you can always introduce or teach someone something good and right. But even you can do so, perhaps, you cannot make them to think, to talk or to behave accordingly.

Everybody has freedom to decide and choose what is right and wrong, what is good or bad.

As a missionary, we are called to introduce God and his message to people and then to lead them to God. However, we cannot force someone to accept our teaching.

In his Ministry, Jesus gives freedom to people to accept or refuse his teaching. This is the point of today's Gospel. He does not compel people to accept him or the kingdom of God. In the Gospel he concludes his teaching by saying: "Whoever has ears ought to hear"

We all have two ears. We can use our ears to hear everything, good and bad. we have right to use our ears, but we also have capacity to control what information or new we ought to hear. we can open it to more good information, or to more rumors, gossips or bad talking about others.

 Since we have capacity, lets control open our ears to something good and useful for the benefit of others.

Whenever we hear bad or wrong information such as gossip or rumor about others, let's keep it. Advent is a good time for us also to control ourself including our ears.