Catholics should proclaim the Gospel by the way they live rather than merely recounting stories about Jesus, a bishop said Thursday, urging believers to become visible signs of God’s mercy through compassion and service.
Preaching during Mass at Holy Rosary Parish in Oroquieta City as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines held its 132nd plenary assembly nearby, Bishop Sean Mejia said proclaiming God’s kingdom is the mission of every baptized Christian, not only bishops, priests or religious.
“We are not only narrators or repeaters of stories about Jesus but witnesses, whose lives are transformed by Him,” Mejia said in his homily, reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading from Matthew.
The apostolic vicar of Tabuk described evangelization as “the birthright of every baptized Christian,” saying a synodal Church calls all believers to share responsibility for bringing Christ to others.
“He does not ask us to be experts in worldly rhetoric; He asks us to be witnesses,” Mejia said. “We are all called to be ‘cords of human kindness’ in a world hardened by despair, war and division.”
He urged Catholics to become instruments of healing, allowing God’s mercy to reach people on society’s margins instead of seeking recognition through titles or positions within the Church.
“Our identity is not found in titles or positions but in the fact that we are chosen and named,” he said. “We are sent because He trusts us despite our weaknesses. Let us be clear windows through which God’s mercy reaches the marginalized.”
Drawing from the prophet Hosea, Mejia said God’s faithful love remains steadfast even when people turn toward “the idols of conflict, pride or indifference,” continually inviting them back to their first encounter with divine mercy.
He also cautioned Church leaders against becoming preoccupied with programs, structures and debates while forgetting that Christian mission begins with God’s love, which “taught us to walk” before asking anything in return.
The bishop concluded by urging the faithful to return to their parishes and communities with renewed faith rather than simply more plans, encouraging them to become shepherds and witnesses whose compassion reflects “the heart of God Himself.”
Mejia is among the Catholic Church’s newest bishops, having been ordained and installed as apostolic vicar of Tabuk on June 2. The CBCP plenary assembly marked his first attendance of a national gathering with fellow bishops as a member of the bishops’ conference.
