Purpose of Mass Prep

     My premise is that there are only two parts of the Mass that change:  the readings and the homily.  These are the only exposure an average congregation will receive to scripture for the week and the only opportunities to make God personal and exciting. (Or at least hmmm…haven’t thought of that before.)

     A quick one page essay on the readings for next week; set up for anyone to read on a website could give people something to think about during the week and at least have some idea of what the message of that Mass would be:  Mass Prep.  It may also reinforce the homily for that Mass and maybe people would even remember something that would last at least until after lunch.

"Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ."

-St. Jerome-

Translation:

You can’t know Jesus if you don’t know Jack.

Vote in my poll and let me know what you think

In Christ,

Andy Cocco

Mass Prep Sunday August 4th 2019 18th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Sunday August 4th 2019 18th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

What’s it all about?

The tie in between today’s readings: Meaningful living

Psalm 90:3-5 ;12-17, Ecclesiastes 1:2 ;2:21-23, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21

     “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Sounds like a sound bite on an HGTV bathroom show, but no. It’s the lead off to the most depressing book of the Bible: Ecclesiastics. In our chapter two reading for example, our “what’s the use king” Solomon bemoans the fact that you can’t take it with you. In the end you die and the fruits of your labor go to someone else. Chapter after chapter, the book drones on in existential fashion as it expounds the useless futility of living. But hold on! Our Prozac monarch doesn’t off himself in a final exclamation point. He discovers four principles to make life worth living or at least bearable, which I will share at the end of this essay. So put the top back on that bottle of pills and turn off the gas! There’s a real light at the end of the tunnel and His name is Jesus.

     The problem presented in our readings today is how to live our short lives knowing that troubles are common and death can surprise us at anytime. Psalm 90 recognizes the brevity of life and asks God to give a proper perspective to live it. The Psalmist asks to have the joy of the Lord in the sorrows, to give faith that will pass on to the next generation and for a secure future for all. The key here is that he goes to the Lord to make sense of our short time here on earth. We truly live when we value a relationship with God. He offers us His security, sufficiency, and satisfaction. The alternative is going our own way on an aimless voyage, floating on a senseless sea, without a compass. Seek God first. He will be that friend that sticks closer than a brother. Be rich toward Him and he will make you a treasure to others. That’s a life worth living.

     The characters in Luke 12:13-21, like most people, ignore death and focus on temporal things. In verses 13-15, we have two brothers squabbling over the family inheritance. Did you catch that? Inheritance! At least one person has recently passed with apparently little impact on the short sighted siblings who value possessions over each other. Jesus leverages this into a teaching moment with the parable of the Rich Fool. We wish we had this guy’s problem. He has to figure out what to do with the windfall that has dropped into his lap. Not to worry, he quickly comes up with the solution and a retirement plan to boot. Then he suddenly dies and someone else gets the loot, probably the aforementioned quarrelling brothers. The neighbors gather at his funeral and say, “What a shame, just when he was starting to live.” From the Almighty’s point of view, he never lived a day in his life. Instead of being focused toward God, he was self centered. He loved his life in this world and so lost it for eternity. Jesus said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matt 6:20). He didn’t.  “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matt 16:25). Failed there too! Who or what has the hold on your life?

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     So what’s the secret of living in this world? Live your life with eternity in mind. Die now and move on ahead! In Galatians 2:20, Paul writes: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” In Ephesians 2:6, we read: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” So we have died in Christ by faith and are in heaven with Jesus...but not yet. Live down here like you’re there already.

     We’ll tie Solomon’s principles for living in Ecclesiastes along with today’s reading in Colossians 3:1-11 to get a better handle on what the wisest man who ever lived has to say.

Principle #1 Life is a school; learn your lessons. Therefore if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth (Col 3:1-2).

Principle #2 Life is a gift; enjoy it. Life in Christ is the Father’s gift to us and there is glory to come. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with Him in glory (Col 3:3-4).

Principle #3 Life is a stewardship; God will demand an accounting. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amount to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also put them aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices (Col 3:5-9).

Principle #4 Life is an adventure; live by faith. Put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him- a renewal in which Christ is all and in all (Col 3:10-11).

     The Lord God Almighty knows your situation. He knows that you are born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward (Job 5:7). Here on earth you will have many trials and tragedies (John 16:33). But happiness does not come from a lack of difficulties, but in the triumph over them and you don’t have to go it alone. Hear what Jesus Christ, the man of sorrows has to say. “I have told you these things, so that you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulations. But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So take heart! Take Jesus, the light at the end of your tunnel, and hope for years to come! And remember this too...life can be good if you let it be! 

Mass Prep SundayJuly 28th 2019 17th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Sunday July 28th 2019 17th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Prayer: Being in a Relationship

The tie in between today’s readings: prayer principles

Psalm 138, Genesis 18:20-32, Colossians 2:12-14, Luke 11:1-13

     Everybody prays, or more exactly, recites the Our Father. While there is surely nothing wrong with that, there is a greater value for us. Today, I want to take it apart and use it as a framework on which we can build our prayer life. We find the Lord’s Prayer today in Luke 11:2-4.

     OUR FATHER: This shows a special relationship. Contrary to popular thinking and consistent with Biblical teachings, God is NOT everybody’s father. You must be born again into God’s family to call Him Father. Our reading in Colossians gives a good illustration of how this occurs: having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ (Col 2:12-13a). Notice the ideas of buried vs. raised and dead vs. alive. Baptism is the key. It’s the willful spiritual submersion by faith of your life into Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and rising to a new life with Him at the resurrection. This is crucial, because if God is not your Father then He will be your judge and baptism was just the sacrament that got you wet when you were a baby.

     HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME: God is holy, totally separate, and not like anything else. He is to be revered. He is awesome and anything done in His name better match His character.

     YOUR KINGDOM COME: We look forward to the day when God enforces His absolute rule over the earth as it is in heaven. Your goal now is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to become more like Jesus in order to take your place as a heavenly citizen here on the earth.

     GIVE US EACH DAY OUR DAILY BREAD: Bagels, baguettes, brioche...God provides differently for each person according to His purposes and grace. Be satisfied and thankful for YOUR daily bread. Godliness with contentment is great gain (1Timothy 6:6).

     FORGIVE US OUR SINS: Back to Colossians: He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross (Col 2:13b-14). Enough said.

     FOR WE OURSELVES ALSO FORGIVE EVERYONE WHO IS INDEBTED TO US: This is so important! If you have unresolved issues with someone DON’T EVEN COME to church before you deal with it! He forgave us everything and we must forgive everyone also. God will give you the grace to do this. It’s tough. It’s necessary. Its kingdom living!

     LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION: Trials are the tests that God uses to mature you in your Christian life. Sometimes you win and you grow. Sometimes you fail. When you fail, the trial can be an avenue for you to fall into temptation, sin, and big trouble. We are praying for God’s hand to keep us out of temptation’s devastation. Rejoice in the trials, though (James 1:2-4).

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     In our reading in Genesis 18, Abraham’s intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah shows the Our Father in action.

     Verses 16-19 establish God as Abraham’s Father.

     “I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” verse 21...Thy will be done.

     Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Verse 23...Hallowed be thy name.

     From verse 24 to 32 Abraham bargains for the lives of the people, interceding to save the cities...Forgive us our trespasses.

     Not finding ten righteous people, God provided His angels...Our daily bread.

     And rescued Lot and his daughters from the destruction....Deliver us from evil.  Mom stayed behind and became a pillar of the community (Gen 19:26).

     Now that we’ve seen an example of how to pray: what about the answer? Prayers are answered in three different ways: yes, no, and wait. Luke 11:9-13 by a comparison and contrast the Lord demonstrates his love, wisdom, and eagerness to give a yes answer to prayer. A key is the last verse where the Father gives His Holy Spirit to those who ask. The Holy Ghost guides us in our requests because sometimes instead of asking for an egg as it says in verse 12 we ask for the scorpion! So of course that’s a NO. What about the wait?

     The wait answer leads us into persistence in prayer, as we read in Luke 11:5-8. There are any number of reasons why God delays an answer. It makes us reevaluate the request; it could be a no answer after all. From His vantage point, the circumstances may not be right at the moment or He has something better in mind. It could be that you’re not really serious; what you want may be more like a wish than a prayer. If you are serious, then the Lord may want you to become active in answering your own prayer. Waiting builds faith, shows dependence, gives God the glory, and makes the answer that much sweeter. No matter what, keep knocking, don’t give up, God is trustworthy and you will be rewarded. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person is powerful (James 5:16).

     Lastly, when you talk about a person whose life has been a rollercoaster from gutter to glory, King David, our psalmist, is your man and, because of that, nobody prays better than he does. Psalm 138 is his testimony of praise and thanksgiving of prayer’s power and God’s faithfulness. So get on your knees. Those that go to the Lord will never be cast out. Pray like you’ve got nowhere else to go, because you don’t. Expect an answer. Don’t worry. You’re in good hands.

Mass Prep Sunday July 21st 2019 16th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Sunday July 21st 2019 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Guess who’s coming to Dinner!

The tie in between today’s readings is: Holy Communion is Serious Stuff

Psalm 15:1-5, Genesis 18:1-10, Colossians 1:24-28, Luke 10:38-42

     “The time has come to take care of some business on the earth,” said God, “Let’s take a couple of angels on the road with us and visit our friend Abraham while we’re down there.” 

     We pick up the scene with today’s reading in Genesis 18:1-10.  It was another scorching desert afternoon, entirely too hot to do anything but chill out in the shade by the tent. Through the mirage-like distortion of heat waves rising off the sand, Abraham sees three “men” in the distance. They’re coming toward him. He jumps up and sprints to meet them. Bowing prostrate, he pleads that they accept his hospitality. They agree and the progenitor of the Jewish nation, the defeater of armies, and our father in faith springs up and bolts back to the tent. “Hurry, Sarah,” he says, “Take three measures of fine flour and make some bread. I’ll have a servant prepare a calf...milk and cottage cheese too. We must outdo ourselves today. The Boss is coming to dinner!” In the text, the mention of Levitical ceremonial items, the calf and flour, hint at the scene being more of a sacrificial meal rather than a communal one.  Abraham standing by as a waiting servant enforces this sense. He watches as the visitors eat and does not join in. The Almighty has graced him with his presence. In humility, he responds by laying all that he has, even himself, before the Lord with open hands and open heart. Though God declared that he and Abraham are friends, Abraham knows that they are not buds. We should always keep that boundary with the Master in mind.

     Martha was very happy when Jesus accepted her invitation to stay over the house. Dinner might be a challenge, but she had her sister, Mary, to help. Mary couldn’t contain herself when He and His disciples arrived! After greeting them, Martha returned to the kitchen. Mary planted herself at Jesus’ feet, eager to hear what He had to say. She knew her customary place was helping Martha in the kitchen, but wild horses couldn’t drag her away. This was Jesus after all! Martha’s annoyance with Mary grew to frustration as she ignored her throat clearing and pot clanging hints for assistance. It didn’t help that word about Jesus got out to the neighborhood. Everyone was dropping in. The Master always drew a crowd. They had to be greeted, seated and “meated” by yours truly, Martha. Finally, the tyranny of the kitchen became unbearable and right in the middle of one of the Lord’s “blessed be’s”, she exploded. “Jesus! Can’t you see what’s going on here?” Martha yelled.

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     “Chill, Martha!” He soothed. “You’re all over the place. Don’t go to all this trouble. We’re low maintenance. You asked us to be here. So be with us like Mary is doing. That’s the more important thing. “Hmmm...I wonder what Martha did after Jesus’ tender rebuke?” 

     I read the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 and it reminds me of the struggle we go through the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas: presents vs. presence, buying vs. abiding, in pieces instead of at peace, always a Martha and never a Mary. Jesus says it doesn’t have to be this way. Make the better choice. The same battle goes for worship: distractions vs. contemplation, cares vs. prayers, duty vs. devotion, and concern over leaving the parking lot when you’ve never really shown up. Stop! Make the better choice. Even in our daily lives, you can’t do it all: TV, internet, job, and family...it’s madding! Let something go! Sit at the Master’s feet. Make the better choice. Because...

     Ready or not, one day every believer is going to God’s house for dinner. He’s not throwing a come as you are barbecue, either. It’s a royal, glorious, beautifully sublime wedding banquet. You have to prepare! In our reading in Colossians, the Apostle Paul rejoices over his suffering, of all things, in fulfilling his God given charge concerning the Church. Paul’s whole purpose for living is to proclaim the Gospel, admonish, and teach everyone with all wisdom in order to present every man complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28). In Psalm 15:1, David asks the question: O Lord, who can stay at your house (tent)? The remaining four verses in the Psalm go into a list of virtues a true child of God possesses. Even though a child of God may have these virtues by reason of the Holy Spirit, they MUST be cultivated. We can glean some insights from our readings today on how to do this.

     Like Abraham, we need a healthy fear of God. I know that we don’t hear much about that anymore. Back in the sixties we went to confession almost weekly, even venial sins. We also fasted at least three hours before Holy Communion. This fostered humility, focus, and wonder about receiving the Lord in the Eucharist. These preparations are not required today, but it doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate them, anyway. Come to Jesus with clean hands, a pure heart, and reverence. In making the right choices, as with Martha, rather than saying that we love God we need to be truly in love with God. We can take a lesson from a church in the New Testament. The church at Ephesus was doctrinally sound and stood firm against heresies, but Jesus complained that they didn’t love Him anymore. Their mechanical go through the motion worship changed their romance with Christ into a dry marriage. How’s your Jesus love affair going? God is all about the relationship. He uses the dinner example to point this out:  Revelation 3:20 (KJV) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

     The Boss is coming to dinner! It would be the height of foolishness to shout from the inside, “I hear you knocking, but you can’t come in.” So answer the door. Foster your relationship with the Almighty. Each Eucharist is a sacrificial meal, a communal meal, and an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus the Lover of your soul. Regain your awe of the Lord and His table. Pursue Him like a lover with right life choices and holy living so that when the day comes to meet Him face to face you won’t be a stranger.  

Mass Prep Sunday July 15th 2019 15th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Sunday July 15th 2019 15th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Rule Breaking Compassion

The tie in between today’s readings: The Law of Love

Psalm 19:8-11, Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-37

      Just as God the Creator has physical laws that govern the universe. The Lord is also God the Judge with moral laws that apply to everybody, everywhere, everyday. Our reading in Deuteronomy 30:10-14 has Moses rhetorically asking, “Where can anyone find these majestic directives of the Almighty? Up in the unreachable heaven? If so, who would come down to give it to us? Or, maybe, we need to send the bravest among us to a strange land beyond the sea? Does anyone know the way? “It’s not necessary,” Moses answers. The great God of the cosmos planted His sublime code in each of our hearts and if we pay attention to them, we’ll discover that... 

 Psalm 19:8-11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.

It would be hard to find anyone to disagree with the Psalmist’s conclusions about the Law of God, especially when you see two people who are usually at odds, Jesus and a lawyer, both agreeing on it’s summation in Luke 10:25-28.

Luke 10:25-28 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

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It gets trickier, though when you go from the abstract and try to move it to everyday life where the rubber meets the road.

Luke 10:29 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Kindness Even During a War

We had just searched a small village that had been suspected of harboring Viet Cong. We really tore the place up-it wasn't hard to do, but had found nothing. Just up the trail from the village we were ambushed. I got hit and don't remember anything more until I woke up with a very old Vietnamese woman leaning over me. Before I passed out again I remembered seeing her in the village we had just destroyed and I knew I was going to die.  When I woke again, the hole in my left side had been cleaned and bandaged, and the woman was leaning over me again offering me a cup of warm tea.  As I was drinking the tea and wondering why I was still alive, a helicopter landed nearby to take me back.

The woman quietly got up and disappeared down the trail.

Unknown author

https://www.funny-jokes.com/humor/stories/story_kindness.htm

     The thing that makes Good Samaritan stories different from all others is their rule breaking compassion. These people free themselves from the chains of the expected and challenge themselves to do God things. She broke the rule of “an eye for an eye” to give aid to a dying soldier that shot up her village. He broke the rule of self preservation to risk himself by saving a beaten stranger on the Jericho Road, also known as the “bloody pass”. The biggest rule breaker of them all is God Himself. In His plan to save mankind, He turned the universe upside down: the master became the servant, the offended became the conciliator, the beloved became the forsaken. Romans 5:10 tells us that though we were His enemies, God reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son. That idea is reinforced in our reading today in Colossians. Jesus, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation did it all to reconcile us back to the Father by making peace through the blood of His cross. I’m sure that you can think of other examples.

     The actions of the Almighty don’t make sense because we measure them with our perspective. We live according to our rules: the rules of human nature, the dictates of society, and the truisms of prejudice. God, however, is looking for revolutionaries that want to be compassionate rule breakers like Himself. God has written His laws in our hearts! He wants us to think like Him, respond like Him, and love like Him. This is not natural. It can only be achieved by the radical change of Christ in our lives. The Law giver wants us to become law livers! The challenge of the Good Samaritan is daunting because it costs us something up front in time, money, commitment, and especially the command to die to ourselves. The Holy Spirit can empower us to fulfill the Law of love by breaking the hold of the lesser rules of “me first”.  Our Father commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the Law written within. Let us show that we love God with all our hearts by seeking His power to fulfill love of neighbor. The Samaritan did. Let’s go and do likewise and be law livers!

Mass Prep Sunday July 7th 2019 14th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Sunday July 7th 2019 14th Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle C)

Move ‘Em Out!

The tie in between today’s readings: Missions

Psalm 66:1-7;16-20 Isaiah 66:10-14, Galtians 6:14-18, Luke 10:1-20

     Last week’s Mass Prep dealt with the importance of answering the call to become a disciple. I hope that you found it helpful in your pursuit of maturing in Christ. Do we ever get there? Today’s installment takes a deeper look into the “Go” aspect of discipleship: missions. We in the church don’t really think of ourselves as missionaries. After all, there are trained and ordained people for that. Just send money and let the professionals do it. Yes, there are special people God calls to do special things in special places and we definitely need to support them, but you are special too. Every believer has the Holy Spirit and a sphere of influence that they can affect with the message of the gospel. Stepping out in faith in order to share your faith can be a little daunting, but do it anyway! Take the challenge of being a missionary for Jesus in your own part of the world. It will motivate your Bible study, grow your faith, deepen your worship, and give an anticipation of adventure to your life. Walking with God is never boring!

     Imagine yourself on the scene with Jesus as He sent the seventy out on their first missionary endeavor, (Luke 10:1-20). See Him standing on the side of the hill so that they all could hear Him: “Alright men, let Me have your attention! Give me two lines, here and here. Good! OK, the man opposite you will be your partner on this assignment. I’m glad to see all of you here today. I wish there were more of you. We have a lot to do. So when you pray, ask My Father to send more laborers out into the field to be with us. There are specific rules I want you to follow on this mission. Listen up! First, this is a faith exercise for you guys. DO NOT bring any money, backpack, or shoes. You go just as you are. Have faith! I don’t want any idle chit chat with people that you meet along the way. Get to your assigned towns ASAP. Keep Focused! When you get there start knocking on doors and bid peace to the household. If they take you in, blessings will be upon that house. Stay there the whole time. Eat what they give you with thanksgiving. Now, very important! While you are there, you will have the power to heal the sick...and to do a few other things if needed. Don’t let it go to your heads. These signs will give you the credentials that you’ll need for the real mission: spreading the word about the kingdom of God! Look, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. If they receive you, then they receive Me. If they reject you, then they reject Me and My Father. Either way, your message must stay consistent and that message is: the kingdom of God has come near! You don’t embellish it for the believers nor will you water it down for those who oppose you. You will notice that none of you men will be going to Chorazin, Bethsaida, or Capernaum. They had their chance. I will deal with them later. Enough said. Today, all of you are embarking on a great adventure. Amazing things are going to happen, but remember, most importantly, don’t get caught up in the excitement of doing miracles. Instead rejoice in the reality that your names are recorded in heaven! Now, go and make me proud!”

 

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     Dangerous! Understaffed! Jesus sent those men on a bare bones operation with uncertain outcomes. Missions haven’t changed in two thousand years. It is reach out, be daring, be clear, and overcome objections with truth and love. Whether you’re in the ministry halfway around the world or talking with a neighbor over coffee, being a missionary is putting your vulnerable self out there. It can go one of two ways. When the Gospel is accepted, you rejoice like the man in Psalm 66 and praise God for all of His wonders along with the angels in heaven. When the Good News is rejected, it’s like the Apostle Paul who bore in his body the brand-marks of Christ (Gal 6:17). Well, maybe not as bad for us as he had it, but it hurts! Either way the gospel message stays the same as Paul said, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me...” (Gal 6:14-15).

     Why does the Almighty want us to spread the Word whether it’s a good time or not as stated in 2 Timothy 4:2? The gospel is the greatest message to mankind, more precious than gold. It’s the guide to eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ and a joyful citizenship in heaven as described in Isaiah 66:10-14. So be ready to give a reason for your faith (1 Peter 3:15). Be fearless and trust in Him when you do witness to others about salvation in Jesus (Matthew 10:19). It’s the calling of every Christian. Also, remember it’s not about you. You are just the messenger. Whether the Good News is accepted or rejected it’s done unto the Lord, (2Corinthians 2:16). So study, pray, and go spread the precious seeds of the gospel personally, but don’t take the rejections personally. You are not alone. The God of the universe goes with you. Countless souls are in need of the gospel’s salvation message. The fields are white and ready for the reaping. The laborers are few. Join in the harvest and you will come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.