Fourteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time- Year C: Suitable Explanation Of The Gospel

You are among the seventy-two disciples Jesus appointed, and commissioned by your baptism, and confirmation to tell others that Jesus saves.

The verb used is “apostle”: He literally “apostled” us into the world.

The Church officially teaches in the National Statutes of OCIA that baptized Catholics “should always realize,” they are individually obliged to spread the faith by giving a "suitable explanation of the Gospel" which means telling others the fundamental truths of Christianity; namely, that Jesus is the Son of God, and Messiah and His saving work through His life, death, and resurrection.

For the unbaptized this is called the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate to lead them to an encounter with Jesus Christ through Scripture, prayer, and friendly conversation.

You are also called to evangelize the baptized, especially other Catholics. Millions of Christians are secular Christians which means the kerygma is not about sin and redemption but about improving relationships, or about a Prosperity Gospel or about self-help or moral relativism.

One key reason that people leave the faith is due to a lack of having a personal relationship with God. Only about half of all Christians are absolutely certain they can have a personal relationship with Jesus, says the expert Sherry Waddell, which is indicative of the overwhelming secular influence of this age.

This is what you say to evangelize, in your own words, that:

God loves you and He has plan for your life.

Sin will destroy your life.

Jesus died to save you from sin, death, Hell, and Satan.

You are called to repent and believe this.

This is called the kerygma, and without it, we put the cart before the horse and teach doctrine before we introduce the believer to the Person of Jesus Christ.

We attempt to catechize without ever evangelizing.

Even when one learns all about Catholic faith and morals and prayers, all Christian formation consists of entering more deeply into the kerygma.

Some parishes offer a Kerygma Evangelization Retreat for adults. E.g. at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Orange Park, Florida, over 160 parishioners have formed a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ and have begun to share their experiences with others throughout the community.

You are supposed to do this with someone else since Jesus sends them out two-by-two for mutual support and to provide testimony to what they see. And Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, two are better than one,… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

When on mission, just eat what is given you. Jesus instructs them explicitly on how to handle conscience issues regarding how they don’t have to follow kosher laws. Don’t worry if you are on the Mediterranean diet, Keto or Paleo diet, or the carnivore diet. "What do you call a vegan who switches to the carnivore diet? A convert.

Our attitude is to be like 2 Kings 4:29, when Elisha told his helper not to greet anyone along the way, so does Jesus because our ministries grow and are nourished more by contemplation than by chitchat on the way.

E.g. Canon 675, section 3 says that “Apostolic action is to proceed always from an intimate union with God and is to confirm and foster this union.”

Start your conversation with peace. Peace was always a greeting but with Jesus’ resurrection it is the peace that comes from salvation. You are having a “calm-versation!”

Your greeting of peace will be effective in that its saving power will affect people, if not, your greeting of peace will not be wasted, it will come back to you.

When people are trying to drag you into their storm, stay in your peace.

Like, “I tried to start a fight with peace, but it just smiled and walked away!”

“Shake the dust off your feet,” Jesus tells us. Afterall, he does say that we are sent out like lambs among wolves which means it’s OK to feel somewhat defenseless because we don’t control all the variables in this wonderous evangelization adventure.

When the disciples return, Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky,” which means Satan’s fall is instantaneous in respect to each person that you minister to.

The promise is: “Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.” In fact, in Greek, the literal translation of this verse uses a double negative: “and nothing; by no means or any means, will injure or harm you.”

Spiritually, to tread is to trample, to walk on, to conquer, to keep under subjection. St. Theophylact of Orchrid said that open sin, like drunkenness, and immorality are serpents, but scorpions hide, which is secret sin, for example, like gossip disguised as sharing, subtle theft from employers, or harboring negative thoughts about others devoid of divine mercy. Rebuke the evil you see.