Last week in the gospel Jesus gave the disciples instructions on the basic evangelical mission:  “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” This week’s gospel gives us some basic operating guidelines:  “…what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.”  There is the whole message of the Kingdom of God breaking into the world in the person of Jesus Christ and we should shout it out from the rooftops.

But do we? A friend of mine described the Catholic Church as the army of God on earth…. except everyone thinks they are assigned to the secret service and keeps the Good News concealed. Jesus talks about that also: “Nothing that is concealed will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.”

Since it is going to be revealed anyway, why not give a shout-out on the housetops?

Jesus is telling the disciples, look, you have been with me, you’ve heard the kingdom proclaimed, you seen the signs and wonders, you’ve, had the teachings explained to you – now just as I have been sent, go – cure the sick, proclaim the reign of my Father – and don’t whisper it around. Proclaim it from the rooftops because this is good news, the Good News.

But no one said it would be smooth sailing. Between last Sunday’s gospel and the gospel for today there are 25 verses. What’s covered?  In the New American Bible the heading for those verses is rather ominous: Coming Persecutions. Jesus describes all the elements of their current relationships from family to faith, king and kin – and tells the Twelve, that they will all persecute them for their faith in Jesus. “You will be hated by all because of my name.” (Mt 10:22)

Jeremiah in the first reading understood the cost of discipleship. He slogged away at his mission for some 30 plus years. People ridiculed him, tossed him down a well, ignored him and worse. Was his mission successful? The people needed to hear his message and he shouted it from the rooftops. He did what was his to do. The people did not respond and ended up in exile in Babylon.

St. Paul knew the hard reality of evangelization. In 2 Cor 11 he has a working list of some of the persecutions he endured: imprisonments, beatings, brushes with death, 40 lashes with a whip – and 5 times at that, stoning, shipwrecked, dangers from robbers, sleepless night, hunger, cold, and the list goes on. He tells us plainly that these were at the hands of religious leaders, kings and local rulers, as well as brothers in the faith.

This is not the most told recruiting speech. Sounds like sharing the Good News can be dangerous. Maybe that’s why the gospel begins: Fear no one .

But the gospel goes on to let us know that our efforts will be acknowledged and that if God cares for the sparrow and a single hair on our head, how much more does He care for the one who proclaims his Kingdom message.

The disciples knew what they had to do and then went out and did it. They weren’t particularly educated but they knew Jesus, they knew his teachings and witnessed his miracles. They confessed him as Lord and Savior. Then they went out and told the story. For almost 40 years they told and retold the stories. The ones who heard it, told it to others – the teachings and miracles of Jesus were passed onto the next generation.

And eventually they wrote a lot of it down – enough so that we might come to believe.

They placed great trust in us. That we too would tell the stories of Jesus that others might come to believe. They trusted us that we would not keep the Good News secret. “Nothing that is concealed will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” And woe to us if we do not share the Good News.

Here is the Good News challenge for you this summer, to get you geared up to do a little shouting from the rooftops:

• Pick your three favorite gospel stories, accounts, parables or discourses.
• Learn to tell the stories as if you were leaning over the backyard fence with a neighbor: “Hey did ya’ hear…”
• Simply be able to share why that’s one of your favorite accounts and what it has meant to you in your life.
• Find three people to share it with.

And that’s it. Three stories, three people.

You are already faithful people, don’t keep it such a secret. There are people out there that need to hear what you have to share.

Pretty sure they won’t imprison you and give you 40 lashes. Maybe they’ll ignore you.

But God won’t… and in the end that’s all that matter.

Image credit: Image credit: The Sacrament of Ordination (Christ Presenting the Keys to Saint Peter), c. 1636-40, by Nicholas Poussin, Public Domain