Proclaim Good News

 

“The Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message…” – Mark 16.15-20

Proclaiming the good news is the work of all Christians and a guiding principle that also shapes our Franciscan charism. Because all of us are baptized into the love of the Trinity we are called to share this love which is good news. We are to be heralds of hope, mercy, and faith, agents of love, joy and justice. It is one thing to speak the good news but the proclamation also means living it, embodying it and making the good news a way of life. 

As Christians it is in the way we move from the Eucharistic table to the rest of our week. It is in how we announce the gospel, go in peace and glorify the Lord. It can’t just be with an “Amen” or “I believe…” or a “Lord have mercy” it has to be in how we live these words and in the actions of our lives. The gospel of Mark reminds us that the Lord worked with the disciples and as his followers he works with us too. As we hear and embody the good news we must also let it be the way we live. What do our actions say about Christ? What does the way I help a neighbour, focus on other, extended a welcoming hand and so on say about the way we live as Christians? Will they (the world) know we are Christians by our love (hope, joy, faith, mercy…) or will they only know it when they read our obituary?

As Franciscans the above mentioned challenges apply to us as well. Just because we put on a habit and take vows does not mean that we instantly have the good news imparted in us and live it out well. It takes time and effort. Our vows do orientate us to the good news. Our vow of poverty requires a deep trust in God that looks beyond this world, our vow of celibacy requires a living for others that is selfless and rooted in the love of Christ, our vow of obedience requires an openness and desire to work with others in preaching and living the good news. Our Franciscan way of “living the gospel” is one of simplicity but demands that we be attentive to the words of scripture and live them in our every day. It demands that in our fraternal living we are attentive to our brothers. It demands that our way of life be lived for all people and that we support those who are struggling to live the gospel or encounter it. It demands we be in solidarity with those working for justice and peace walking with them and taking up the work with them. It demands us to be life-giving.

In the conversion of St. Francis he heard Jesus speak to him saying, “Go rebuild my church.” St. Francis began by literally repairing churches and then shifted into living and preaching the good news in ways that eventually formed the Franciscan Order. I believe this a needed reminder for us, not that we need to begin new religious orders but rather how do we as Christians and also as the Franciscans review our gospel living? What are we doing already or what simple tasks can we do (or do better) that will bring the good news to life (will rebuild the church)? We have been empowered and Christ is working with us to preach and live the good news. I have myself pondering this for a while now and this passage from the gospel of Mark has been good pause for reflection. In the days ahead and with the empowerment that spirit of Pentecost calls us to may we be strengthen to share the good news; which like blood is in us to give! 

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About the author

Friar Michael Perras, OFM was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, the oldest of four. Along with his siblings he grew up in his parent’s grocery store where he learned about community and service. Brother Michael appreciates quiet moments of prayer, music, Lego, journaling, being creative in the kitchen, lingering meals, socks, collecting quotes and Christmas. One of his greatest joys is being an uncle and a Godfather. His favorite Saints are of course St. Michael, St. Francis and St. Clare. His favorite Bible story is Noah’s Ark and his favorite parable is the Lost Coin in Luke 15. Prior to joining the Franciscans, he served in several communities as a Youth Minister and Pastoral Assistant. Brother Michael holds Certificates in Youth Ministry, Lay Ministry, Liturgical Studies, and Spiritual Direction along with a Bachelor of Theology degree. He is a non-ordained Franciscan Friar (Brother), solemnly professed since August 2019. He is the Guardian (local leader) of the Franciscan community at The Mount, serves as part of the Retreat Team and is on the Canadian Franciscan Provincial Council.

Last updated: November 22, 2021

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Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

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Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

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Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

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The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

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We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

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Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

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Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Detailed Information on the Processing of Your Personal Data

The Service Providers We use may have access to Your Personal Data. These third-party vendors collect, store, use, process and transfer information about Your activity on Our Service in accordance with their Privacy Policies.

Analytics

We may use third-party Service providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

  • Google Analytics

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Email Marketing

We may use Your Personal Data to contact You with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to You. You may opt-out of receiving any, or all, of these communications from Us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in any email We send or by contacting Us.

We may use Email Marketing Service Providers to manage and send emails to You.

  • Mailchimp

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Usage, Performance and Miscellaneous

We may use third-party Service Providers to provide better improvement of our Service.

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Children’s Privacy

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We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

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You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

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Contact Michael Perras, OFM

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