When I started running the marathon, my goal was to witness to celebrating life with the Gospel of Jesus and the world. It is not usual for many to run 26.2 miles and more unlikely a Catholic priest. Nevertheless, I want to see something extraordinary in my life and extend the inspiration that I experienced in Madagascar to others and the world. Once I decided to be a witness, it requires faith to believe that I could follow the long and harsh training schedule, endure and perform it. In fact, it usually takes at least four or five months to accomplish the training with lots of time and distances for just one race. Having faith in God’s grace in me is the most significant part of being a witness in running the marathon.
And what makes a difference in being a witness depends on how much part of it you would like to be. The more you are involved in being a witness with spirit or a physical way, the deeper and greater you become a witness. Obviously, watching the Cavs’ championship wouldn’t be the same if you have a part to do for the team. The personal commitment makes all the difference to witness to something bigger than us. To me, running the marathon takes a lot of my part in training, performing and living with it.
“You are witnesses of the Good News,” Jesus says. This invitation is much bigger than we can imagine. It is more than being a witness in the season and being a witness in the personal performance. It is an invitation of the Gospel that has been over two thousand years and has inspired so many lives and changed the world upside down. It is the message of the life of God and of human beings. By understanding of the Scriptures that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, the believers become all witnesses to that love that is stronger than death and suffering, and death are not the final word to us.
Overall, it would be much more exciting as well as challenging to be a witness to the Gospel because it requires our personal commitment and our involvement day after day. It is an everyday witness in our home, school and work place as a Catholic. But Jesus Christ sent by the heavenly Father with the Holy Spirit is the one who has faith in us as we witness to be greater than we think. As St. Paul says, if we accept to witness to the Gospel of Jesus, we become ambassadors of God’s love for the world. It is such a scary as well as exciting journey we can take because we don’t know to what shore God takes us. How challenging as well as wonderful to be all witnesses to the world-changing event! Therefore, rooting for our team the Cavs, let us commit ourselves again to be a witness to the ultimate victory over fear and death! Go for it!