Gospel

Evangelization is true to itself when its content and method are of Jesus who announced the Gospel. If evangelization is understood to be a ideological domination over others, and let 'us' go freely untouched by the way of Jesus, there is no Gospel at all. Christ can become simply a product of every christian sect if Christ does not have a catholic nature which embraces all nations, languages, and cultures. Such Christs cannot be given the status of universal saviour. They are saviours created for saving their interests.

Who really possess the Gospel are those who make it a reality in their life. The vision and way of Christ is the Gospel. It has the mind of Christ, and cannot be limited within any ideological framework. Catholicism without being 'catholicity' is not catholic at all. instead of the growth of the gospel, it is closing the gospel within preferred particular cultural, linguistic, 'traditional,' symbols. Though the gospel is lived within ones own culture, language, and traditions, it welcomes and is open to others. This preferred closedness is seen in the rejection of anything that comes outside of one's own boxes. Take the example of the reception of Laudato Si, Fratelli Tutti, or the Synod on Synodality. How much of these has come to the vision creation, action plans, formation programs... The light of the Gospel is reflected, discovered, discerned and envisioned in such guidelines. Since we don't prefer what they lay out immediately they are blamed for being worldly, social, humanist and non-godly. Even the 'church lovers' prefer to keep them away, because it challenges to come out of the boxes to the light of the Gospel today.

Proclamation and defense of faith are not about texts and sentences. Even apologetics had contextual themes and preferences. Faith is rooted in the gospel, contemplating the mind of Christ in our times guided by the Holy Spirit. We do have the richness of the theological development at every age to clarify what we believe. They help us to understand the way a time integrated the faith into their life, pain, and joys (though at times theology was lenient to conventional political interests and suppressed differences). Gospel responds the cry of a time, and Christ 'reveals' himself as the answer. The answer may not be necessarily a familiar answer that we are used to. Pope Francis often speaks of human fraternity, collaboration and dialogue as the way that we live the gospel today walking with Christ. The whole creation is seen as pilgrim companions sharing their gifts, 'inspired' by Christ in them by the grace at work in them all.

There are many lessons of the gospels from others, even from the world of other than human. Gratitude, sacrifice, and providence are of great importance in the gospel the creation lives. An anthropocentric kingdom of God is blind to the presence of the Gospel there. We cannot understand the Gospel if we cannot understand the 'other.' My way to be the way is not about the way of Jesus. Every one has a personal path that one has been walking the faith. This lived path including struggles nourish our walking companions in family and society. What we look for is the signs of the Gospel though differently lived, a life of generosity, kindness, self emptying and sacrifice. If the differences become hindrance in reading the Gospel, we do need to sincerely desire for a literacy - religious, cultural, and linguistic - in order to see the original inspirations, and the contemplative insights behind differing symbols.