The meaning of the word gospel is " good news". The gospel is to proclaim to the people that salvation has come through Jesus. The very birth of Jesus was the happiest news that the world ever received. "Do not be afraid; for see I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (Lk. 2:10-11).

The entire life of Jesus, who bestowed on the human race a total liberation from sin and sickness, was good news. Quoting prophet Isaiah, Jesus announced what the purpose of his coming into the world was: "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (Lk. 4:18-19).

Jesus, who gave total liberation to man from the bondage of sin and death through his birth, life, death and resurrection, is still alive and is the good news to all who believe in him, to all who call upon his name and pray to him. Jesus exhorts all who believe in him to spread this good news to the ends of the earth, to the millions of all ages and of all countries of the world. All those who know Jesus are called to be his evangelists. It is the great responsibility of every Christian to preach Jesus wherever he is not known. That is why the apostle Paul writes, "If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!" (1Cor. 9:16).

Of the six hundred thousand villages in India, nearly five hundred thousand and a half have not heard of Jesus. The reason for this state of affairs is the fact that those who received the good news from the very beginning of the Christian era, did not share it with those who did not know Jesus. We gave more importance to other things than to evangelisation. This situation still exists. It is not possible for all to go to mission stations and preach Jesus. However, there is no one who cannot do this through prayer and sacrifice. It is highly beneficial to conduct prayers of intercession and to pray in groups so that India may listen to the word of God. Prayer is the golden key that opens the gate of heaven. It will be a step in the right direction to share the word of God in small groups in each parish and to consider how to do the work of evangelisation in the home and in the circumstances of daily life and to make firm resolutions regarding the same. By distributing Bibles and other publications on Jesus, several people can be brought to the knowledge of Jesus. Above all, let us be witnesses to Jesus by our life in the place we live in and in our field of action.