Forward Today: Basking in the Good News

Dear friends in Christ,
 
On Monday, the church celebrated the feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. Every year, we give thanks for his apostolic witness, especially in the Gospel of Matthew. Imagine how many lives have been transformed by his willingness to bear witness to Jesus Christ.
 
I’m still thinking about this feast day, and I encourage you to do the same. Perhaps you’ll want to sit down and read the Gospel according to Matthew in one sitting. It’s a gripping narrative, and it won’t take you very long. Or, since we’re coming up on the start of Year A at the beginning of Advent, maybe you’ll want to save the task of reading this entire Gospel in the season of Advent when the church invites us to delve into this Gospel for an entire liturgical year.
 
But that’s not all. I wonder if we might more directly learn from Matthew’s example in bearing witness. You and I probably aren’t called to write down a whole gospel, but we are absolutely called to bear witness to Jesus Christ. At a time when angry voices fill the airwaves and despair fills our streets, I can’t think of a better response than bearing witness.
 
God’s desire is to draw the whole world to himself. God invites us to be merciful and grace-filled. God challenges us to love our neighbors.
 
In Matthew’s Gospel, he made connections with the ancient stories and beliefs of his audience. He didn’t condemn, but rather connected and invited. We should do the same. The Good News of God in Jesus Christ is too big, too important, too transformational for us to hoard it. It must be freely shared.
 
Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

P.S. In your exploration of St. Matthew’s Gospel, you might want to check out A Journey with Matthew, in which you can read the Gospel over 50 days and have companion reflections for each day’s reading.

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