MONDAY, TWENTY SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
1 Cor 2: 1-5 Ps 119: 97- 102 Lk 4: 16-30
BEING KERYGMATIC
The Greek word for proclamation is Kerygma. In the Christian context, it is the joyful announcement that Jesus Christ is a living person to be encountered. After the resurrection of Jesus, the apostles began the work of proclaiming Christ. The kerygma was addressed directly to the hearers who were required to respond by repenting to their sins, accepting baptism and living in the new life that Christ was offering!
The first reading provides a glimpse of the Kerygma proclaimed by the Apostle Paul. He reminds the Corinthians of how he came to preach Jesus Christ to them. However, in reading the letter of Paul, we notice two things. He says he came to them in weakness, fear and trembling and didn’t use persuasive speech in his proclamation. Why not? Consider the preachers of today. They preach with boldness and zeal and will employ all verbal techniques and technology to drive the message home. Paul was also a fiery speaker. Why did he therefore fear and use basic language?
The answer lies in the context. Corinth was a Greek city. It was a hub of arts and culture. Thus, when Paul preached there for almost a year and a half, he had to face a lot of opposition. Also, Corinth boasted of philosophers and intellectuals. Oratory was a ‘must have’ skill to convince people. However, Paul did not employ his skills though he was adept. Rather, he relied only on his message – that they believe in Crucified Christ. With the strength of the Spirit, he wanted his hearers to base their faith on the power of God. Such is the power of God, whose word is alive and active (Heb 4:12). Paul primarily is trusting in the power of God rather than his strengths. If Paul, who was a trained scholar, trusted more in the Spirit of God, where should our strength lie in evangelizing our neighbourhood? As everyone is called by Jesus to be Kerygmatic let us rely first on the strength of God to bear fruits – fruits in abundance!
Response: O Lord, how I love your Law!
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