CHALLENGE OF THE GOSPEL - CYCLE A

CHALLENGE OF THE GOSPEL - CYCLE A

The Challenge of the Gospel message is to so love God and neighbor that we are able to change the less desirable aspects of ourselves and the world in which we live into the ideal that God had in mind when He created the earth and all that dwells therein. We are meant to pattern our lives after that of Jesus and, by bringing God’s love to the world, to transform it into His Kingdom. We are to rise above the mundane concerns that so often preoccupy us and to place our trust in Him Who has promised to be with us in our struggle till the end of time. That memorable line from the movie The African Queen put the matter quite succinctly, if not entirely truly, in the words: “Human nature was what we were put on earth to rise above.” And therein lies much of the challenge of the Gospels: to resist the temptation to do evil and to employ all our energies in doing good, to take up our cross each day and follow Jesus. Each Sunday one or another aspect of that challenge is placed before us in these brief reflections on the Gospels for Cycle A of the liturgical readings.

About the Author: Fr. Joe Slattery, a native of Dublin, Ireland, was ordained for the diocese of Richmond, Virginia in June, 1966. He received his Ph.D. in religious studies from the Catholic University in Washington, DC in 1980 and during the 1980’s he co-authored with Margrit Banta a catechetical series for grades 7-12 entitled I Call You Friends. After spending several years in parish and adult education work he was named Director of Ministry to Priests for the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference while lecturing part-time at St. John Vianney National Seminary in Pretoria (1997-2002). He is presently on leave from the Richmond diocese to teach courses in biblical and pastoral studies at St. Charles Lwanga National Seminary in Windhoek, Namibia.