A Christian on the run to proclaim the Gospel

The WORD in other words (2006) by Fr Rudolf Horst SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City

Feast of Saint John, the Evangelist – December 27, Octave of Christmas

Have you realized that there is a lot of running in the Gospels? Before Christmas we heard how Mary went “in haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth. The other day we heard that the shepherds rushed to visit the newborn baby Jesus. And today’s Gospel shows us Mary Magdalene running and then Peter and the beloved disciple were racing to the tomb of Jesus.

I think this is of great significance. Some run to meet Jesus, like the shepherds, Peter and the beloved disciple, others run to proclaim something, like Mary and Mary Magdalene. My question is: Do you also feel like running? Do you feel your Christian faith like a powerful engine that does not allow you to sit still and relax?

For too many Christians faith is like a safe harbor where they have anchored the boat of their life. Now they sit down and rest and wait until the Lord one day calls them to himself. After all, since they proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they feel saved already. They might go to Church, leisurely, never in a hurry, because it is an “obligation” to be there on Sunday. They hear the priest say, “Go now in peace to love and serve the Lord in your neighbor,” without realizing that they were sent out on a mission. 

Christianity is nothing like that. St. Paul once compared our Christian life with running a race in the stadium. And he challenged his readers to run so all will reach the goal and win the prize. Christianity is a dynamic religion, a missionary religion. For after all, the last words of Jesus were not: “Sit down and relax,” but “GO into the whole world and proclaim the gospel.”

Our late Holy Father, John Paul II, demonstrated this when he traveled in his 26 years as supreme shepherd three times the distance between earth and moon. No, as Christians we do not sit down at the tomb of Jesus and mourn him, but run to meet him and then share our experience with him. For many, Christianity seems dull; but once you begin to run you will find it a very exciting religion.