[stephenkhoo]

EFFECTIVE EVANGELIZATION DEMANDS SUFFERING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS 8:1-8; PS 66:1-7; JOHN 6:35-40]

Many of us might be willing to respond to the call of evangelization, but on our own terms. We do not mind making some sacrifices to serve in a church ministry or organization, whether in the work of formation and catechesis, or helping out in liturgical celebrations by joining the choir, lectors, Extra-ordinary ministers of Holy Communion or hospitality ministry. Some of us might even be willing to help out in social and humanitarian ministries, serving the poor and the marginalized, so long as such ministries do not take too much of our time or involve too much sacrifices or suffering. But the moment when the going gets tough, such as when our leadership is challenged, or when we face opposition, we are ever ready to resign and give up our ministry.

Yet, the truth is that suffering and persecution is the sacrifice we have to pay for the work of evangelization. The Church was persecuted right from the start, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles. The persecution grew stronger by the day. Should we be surprised that even our Lord Himself was persecuted and put to death by wicked men? Indeed, the blood of the martyrs, as the Church Fathers would often say, is the seed of the Church. Without the blood of the martyrs shed for Christ, there would have been no real conversion. Ironically, the more the Church was persecuted, the stronger she grew in strength, in faith and in holiness.

Indeed, when we celebrate our 200th anniversary of Catholicism in Singapore, we are reminded that the Church in Singapore grew only because many missionaries from Europe left their homeland, their families and their comfort zone to venture into unknown lands with alien cultures, languages and many religions. They had to start from nothing and slowly built up the local Church. Laying the foundation for the local Church took many years, much sacrifices, patience and perseverance. We can be sure of the many obstacles they faced and the opposition from the local population who viewed Christianity as a European religion, alien to the local cultures. But through their sacrifices, churches, schools and hospital and nursing homes were built and expanded.

If evangelization is weak among our Catholics today, it is because we are afraid of suffering and inconvenience. We have become a weak race. In a hedonistic society, we are averse to pain, privation and suffering. We have deep insecurity issues, whether material needs or personal self-esteem. Like the rest of the world we also pursue the pleasures of life. We can see this not just among our laity but even in clerical and religious life. Indeed, few would be willing to suffer for their faith, particularly when their career or business is affected. We put business, politics, power, money and success before God. If we pledge loyalty to God it is at most the second or even third place in our lives. Very few would sacrifice their family, their worldly achievements and popularity for the love of Christ. On the contrary, many of us compromise our faith, the gospel values, so that we can please the world and be accepted by the world. We have to serve both God and mammon.

Yet the bible underscores that suffering and evangelization go together. Luke, the evangelist, makes it clear that with the death of Stephen, persecution of the Church started on a mass scale beginning in Jerusalem. Stephen’s death was the catalyst in launching the world’s first attempt at evangelization. Stephen’s hint that the temple has been replaced by Christ opened the door for the Church to reach out to the world as the gospel was no longer confined in Jerusalem or the Temple worship. In the first reading we read that “everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria. Those who had escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them.” God uses the persecution of the early Church to advance the gospel. How was this done?

Firstly, persecution forced the Church to move out of her comfort zone. Until then, they were comfortably gathering with the apostles to pray and worship as a community, taking care of each other, applying the values of the gospel in their lives. But with the persecution, they had no choice but to move out, and as they moved out, they also announced the Good News to those who did not know the Lord. How true it is that very often, we tend to remain status quo and comfortable with our routine until we are challenged by new situations. Just like the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only has it forced the world to rethink how to grow the economy and how international relations should be managed, even for us as Church, we are called to rethink how we should evangelize, to grow the faith of our people, to bring them closer to God. It calls for courage to think out-of-the-box and to move out to new frontiers using technology to reach out to our followers and those who are seeking for Christ.

Secondly, persecution forced the Church to rethink her structures. Already, earlier on when the Church grew in numbers and the apostles had no time to look after the material needs of the Gentile-speaking widows, there was already much unhappiness and division. As a consequence, they appointed deacons so that, as they said, “we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” Changing circumstances forced them to rethink how they could be more effective in the work of formation of their members and the work of evangelization. But today’s reading went beyond the duties that were laid down for the deacons. Stephen and Philip were only deacons but they did not confine themselves to just doing social work; they were equally involved in the ministry of preaching, healing and evangelization. Later on, we read that many Samaritans were converted to the faith and so the Church in Jerusalem dispatched Peter and John to investigate the situation. They verified that the believers were genuine and when they prayed over them, they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)

Indeed, we see the changing roles of the apostles from being the front line in missionary work to one of overseers, being the center of unity for the Christians. This was why they remained in Jerusalem, the headquarter from where the work of evangelization was directed. Such a reality too must force the Church to rethink the work of evangelization, the role of priests, deacons, religious, laity and the role of women in the Church. Unless we are ready to change our structures and to adapt to the times, we will not be able to make inroads and progress in the work of evangelization. We will remain outdated, irrelevant, whereas those other Christian churches, because of their responsiveness to change and adapt, will eventually win more people for Christ.

Finally, persecution does purify the Church in faith and holiness. Our faith is tested when we are challenged. How often have our Catholics been persuaded to join other Christian churches when challenged in their faith, because they know so little of their faith and so are easily shaken and won over. Half-truths and ignorance, and most of all a weak relationship with Christ, make them lose whatever little faith they had. Even the scandals in the Church apparently weakened her credibility, but in truth, these are the instruments that God uses to purify the Church, the hierarchy, and the laity, by forcing us to renew our structures, our ways of formation, of outreach and worship as well. So long as we are not ready to change, the Church will continue to diminish, which might be good in the long run because we will have only the remnants of true believers in Christ to start all over again to build a true Church where we are all living stones in Christ.