Acts 20
When a large-scale problem overwhelms us, we feel powerless. As we are now in the middle of the pandemic, we as individuals seem unable to resolve these global issues. I think this is one of the reasons we like stories of heroes and super-humans. In super-hero movies, common citizens are just numbers. They are described as fearful, foolish, helpless, and often selfish. The super-heroes have of course all the opposite virtues – courageous, wise, powerful and altruistic. Also, in those movies, governments, police forces, public organizations and communities are mostly incompetent. I believe these movies and stories negatively influence us about individuals and organizations. Against social injustice, moral degeneration, economic oppression, environmental destruction, religious secularism, and the like, we individuals feel no place for us to contribute. Some of us might have thought like this: “Even if I put all effort to recycle, will I make any difference? Will I be able to save the environment?” or “I want to be faithful to Jesus. But will it make our world any better?” These days you may feel this way: “I wish everyone wears a mask. But, look at the streets and malls and parks: most people don’t. Any difference will I make if I wear a mask? It will be just me!”
I wonder how St Paul felt when the Lord asked him to evangelize the Gentile world. Anyone who has ever attempted to convert even one person in the family will tell us it’s not easy. “Not easy” is not enough to describe the difficulty. It is painful and often frustrating. Some might have experienced certain darkness of soul, for there seemed no hope. Then, how would you feel if you’re asked to convert the whole Mediterranean world? If the Lord asks me to convert my little town here, I’ll probably say to myself it’s an impossible task. “How can just one priest can convert a town?”
St Paul did not stop preaching not because he was a super-hero but because he loved the Lord. Was he one hundred percent successful? Not really. He had some success but also had to see his communities turn away from the Gospel. But he didn’t give up. This is what he is testifying in today’s reading. He did his best to scatter the seed of the Gospel. He did it not as a super-hero but as a faithful individual. He had faith in the community. He and his companions organized communities for evangelization. All these faithful individuals slowly but surely changed the Mediterranean world into Christendom.
I always find the biggest huddle in evangelization in me. I am the biggest huddle. I am the stumbling block to myself. St Paul says in today’s reading: “I do not count my life of any value to myself.” How many times did I put myself first before those big issues? “I rather choose to feel easy and comfortable. These issues are too big for me to handle. I rather choose my life. To be upright before God, to change the world, to bring people to God…these things are for heroes and saints, not me.”
It all comes down to individuals. Unless each of us changes today, no change will be there tomorrow.
