After the resurrection of Jesus, his disciples began to spread his teaching among their Jewish brethren. Some hearers accepted the Christian message and others rejected it. Predictably, the Jewish high priest and his associates arrested the apostles and put them in jail. It was there that an angel intervened on behalf of the apostles and set them free from jail, instructing them to speak to the people “all the words of this life,” “πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης,” “omnia verba vitæ hujus” (Acts 5:20).
Today’s disciples still look to Church leaders to proclaim all the words of Christian life. Whether Pope, bishop, priest, catechist or spiritual director, the sacred duty is the same: to speak all the words of Christian life. Not to emphasize some parts while ignoring others, but to present the totality of the Christian message. When we get the sense that a church leader is ignoring or even denying parts of the Christian message, we can rightly look elsewhere for leadership. May our leaders have the grace to boldly proclaim the gospel in its fulness, and may we have the grace to hear them. Amen.