{"id":36052,"date":"2020-10-07T08:01:10","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T14:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=36052"},"modified":"2021-04-16T14:46:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T20:46:14","slug":"a-gospel-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/a-gospel-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gospel for All","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Sea of Galilee at Dawn<\/em> (photo by Mark Mallett)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Continuing to gain traction is the notion that there are many paths to Heaven and that we’ll all eventually get there. Sadly, even many “Christians” are adopting this fallacious ethos. What is needed, more than ever, is a bold, charitable, and powerful proclamation of the Gospel and the name of Jesus<\/a>. This is the duty and privilege most especially of Our Lady’s Little Rabble<\/a>. Who else is there?<\/em><\/p>\n

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First published March 15th, 2019.<\/p>\n

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THERE<\/strong> are no words that can adequately describe what it’s like to walk in the literal footsteps of Jesus. It’s as though my trip to the Holy Land was entering into a\u00a0mythical realm that I’d read about all my life… and then, suddenly, there I was. Except,\u00a0Jesus is no myth<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Several moments touched me deeply, such as rising before dawn and praying in quiet and solitude by the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

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Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Another was reading the Gospel of Luke in the very synagogue where Jesus first proclaimed it:<\/p>\n

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The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That was a defining moment. I felt a tremendous sense of\u00a0boldness\u00a0<\/em>welling up within. The\u00a0now word\u00a0<\/em>that came to me is that the Church must rise up with courage (again) to preach the undiluted Gospel without fear or compromise, in season or out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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WHAT’S IT ALL FOR?<\/p>\n

That brought me to another, much less edifying, but no less mobilizing moment. In his homily, a priest who resides in Jerusalem\u00a0stated, “We don’t need to convert the Muslims, Jews, or others. Convert yourself and let God convert them.” I sat there a bit stunned at first. Then the words of St. Paul flooded my mind:<\/p>\n

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But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, \u201cHow beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!\u201d (Rom 10:14-15)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"I thought to myself,\u00a0If we don’t need to “convert” non-believers, then why did Jesus suffer and die? What did Jesus walk these lands for if not to call the lost to conversion? Why does the Church exist other than to continue the mission of Jesus: to bring glad tidings to the poor and proclaim liberty to captives?<\/em>\u00a0Yes, I found that moment incredibly mobilizing. “No Jesus, you did not die in vain! You did not come to placate us but save us from our sin! Lord, I won’t let your mission die in me. I won’t let a false peace supplant the true peace you came to bring!”<\/p>\n

Scripture says it is “by grace you have been saved through faith.”<\/em> [1]<\/sup><\/a>Eph 2:8<\/span><\/span>