Every once in a while, I come across people who say that they have volunteered themselves to go to some seemingly remote country or place to preach the Good News. While it is commendable for people to offer their services and even their lives in such an endeavour, I sometimes wonder: what about the very people in our community, our
own backyard, our own housing area, who may have not heard about the
Good News? Have such aspiring missionaries made the effort to reach
out to them? Or have some of these aspiring missionaries given up on their own people?
In today's Gospel, we are told: "These twelve
Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: 'Do not turn your steps to
pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the
lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the
kingdom of heaven is close at hand.' What Jesus is telling us is that basically, charity begins at home. While it may seem commendable to make big plans in
trying to preach the Good News to others, what about reaching out to
our own families and friends first? Are some of us preaching the Good News
selectively, thinking only of achieving a great success rate? Or are we
preaching the Good News for the glory of God, regardless whether we are
successful or not?
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