to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.” And Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

Reflections

“I have to go to other towns.”Jesus knows exactly what he is up to, that is, the proclama- tion of the good news of God’s saving love and to launch the reign of God on Earth. This is the “divine priority” which must touch the lives of peoples. Zeal and undivided focus primarily characterized Jesus’ mission of liberating humanity from the grip of sin and the power  of the devil. His missionary zeal cannot be contained; the good news of God’s love and mercy needs to reach the ends of the Earth. Jesus’ experience of the Father’s love, the “Abba expe- rience,” is the driving force be- hind his commitment to the mission. And our personal ex- perience of the same love, and of the love of Christ, drive us to be faithful to the task/mission assigned to us. It even urges us to go beyond “familiar shores.”I met Fr. Manh Le, Vietna- mese religious missionary, who recently arrived in Sydney from his mission assignment in the Amazon in Brazil. Of the thirteen years in Brazil, three years were spent in a poor parish and five years living in the Amazon, in the homes of the people because there is no accommodation. He does not stay permanently in one home and travels with his hammock and mosquito net.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019