Flexibility is necessary to spread the Good News

Good News ReflectionFriday of the 23rd Week of Ordinary Time September 10, 2010
Today's Readings:1 Cor 9:16-19,22b-27Ps 84:2-6, 12Luke 6:39-42http://www.usccb.org/nab/091010.shtmlUSCCB Podcast of the Readings:http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_09_10.mp3
Flexibility is necessary to spread the Good News
In today's first reading, St. Paul shows us the importance of flexibility. He was single-minded in his commitment to spread the Good News, but he was open-minded about how to do it.
After 2000 years of rules and norms and Canon Laws, it's easy to forget where there's actually room for flexibility. Or perhaps we're afraid of change and adaptation, because we interpret "flexibility" as an open door for the ways of the world – but that's not the kind of flexibility that Paul promoted.
Paul maintained strict obedience to God's commands and embraced his obligation to preach the Gospel, yet he remained flexible in how he preached it. His calling is our calling, too: We should all be running passionately for the eternal prize that is given to winners in the race against evil. And to defeat evil, we have to be flexible so that we can get around its obstacles.
An example of Pauline flexibility is how he preached without charging a fee. Jesus said that servants of God should be paid (see Luke 10:7; Paul acknowledged it two lines above today's scripture, in verse 14). Does this mean he was disobeying Christ? Of course not. Paul chose to obey the higher command of making himself "a slave to all".
And by becoming "all things to all, to save at least some", he met people where they were at, sharing the Good News with them in ways that they could understand.
A good example of this today is the young adult outreach ministry of the Paulist Fathers in North America, http://BustedHalo.com . It attracts people who are on the edge of belief and who are disconnected from the institutional Church. It's effective in drawing them into the Gospel by inviting open discussion without criticism, no matter where they are in their spiritual journeys, in order to inspire new growth.
We can do the same in our everyday lives by accepting others as they are instead of expecting them to adhere to every Church rule BEFORE teaching them how to find and embrace Jesus in those rules. We help no one when we condemn them for what they're doing wrong, but we help some when we invite them to grow at a pace that doesn't drive them away.
People are only accountable for their sins when they know they are sinning and freely choose to disobey anyway. We, on the other hand, having learned the truth, are accountable for the love and knowledge that we fail to give them. As Jesus says in today's Gospel reading, we're being hypocritical, fussing over the speck of their accountability while a huge log of our own accountability is jamming up our vision and blinding us to the mercy that God is flexibly offering to all of us.
An aside: If this style of ministry appeals to you or someone you know, and if you live in North America, consider connecting to the Paulist Fathers as a priest or lay associate. For more information, visit their website http://paulist.org and our webpage http://gnm.org/about/index.html?PaulistAssoc.htm.
© 2010 by Terry A. ModicaThis work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission. You may print one copy for your own personal use. For PERMISSION and info on how to copy this reflection for sharing, see:http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm
Seeking a past reflection?Click this button to register for the searchable Archive Library of the Good News Reflections. One week access is free to subscribers of these emailed reflections.
WAS THIS FORWARDED TO YOU BY A FRIEND?Sign up for your own subscription! Go to http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections
Why do I need your help in my daily ministry?Good News Ministries affects countless lives around the world, including in countries where people have no Catholic Mass and where Christianity is persecuted. Please visit http://gnm.org/donate.htm where you can make a real difference - even if you cannot make a financial donation!
Join the cause on facebook and help spread the message!
Note: Good News Ministries http://gnm.orgis a non-profit organization that accepts donations as support for its ministries but does not charge for anything. Catholic Digital Resources, LLC http://catholicdr.comis Terry Modica's publishing house providing professional writing services; the income from this will eventually support the future growth and projects of Good News Ministries. Please spread the word; tell your DRE, RCIA Director, pastor, etc. about what's available for parishes at Catholic Digital Resources™.
______________________________________________________________This is the "Good News Reflections - Early Edition" mailing list.MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION:Sign up at http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections or change your addressor unsubscribe