Although most of us are not attuned to diplomatic protocols, there are very technical and time-honored traditions surrounding the treatment of ambassadors. As the representative of his or her country, an ambassador stands in the place of the leader and the people in formal negotiations and diplomatic ceremonies. The ambassador stands in the place of the ruler. We see that same sense of honor in the Church. The bishop appoints certain priests as vicars – those who stand and act in his place when he is not present or able to act in that place or situation. Where we see the vicar we see the bishop.
That same sense of the dignity of the representative of a king or an emperor was present in the ancient world. For example, there are various points in the Gospel where Jesus uses that imagery in speaking of himself in relationship to the Father. In the Gospel passage this weekend Jesus repeats this technical language regarding the treatment of his disciples.
As we treat a disciple of Jesus we treat Jesus himself. Jesus first makes the point that our relationship with him is the primary relationship. It is God alone who is the source of our life, our strength and our hope.
God does indeed make himself known to us in many and varied ways. We are, or at least should be aware, that we encounter God in other persons in each encounter. Sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, this seems dark and hidden. It is true that most people we meet on the street do not remind us of God. It is precisely in those people that we ought to find how God is making himself present and known to us. Showing us where we need to grow and how it is that we discover him in this world.
In this passage Jesus shifts our focus to the apostles. As he is preparing to send them out he instructs them to act boldly and with confidence. It is likely that they were uncertain yet enthusiastic about their work. At the same time, it must have been a challenge for them when people were looking for Jesus or wanted Jesus to touch them and they were met with one of the apostles instead.
It is easy for us today to scoff at the idea that we entertain Jesus as we encounter the prophets that are sent among us. Jesus strengthened his apostles and instructed them to continue his work in his name after his earthly mission was done. If he had not done so then he would have essentially abandoned them to find their own way, causing them to drift from the work that he set them out to do. Instead, Jesus intended to establish a definitive and authoritative community – the Church – that would continue to teach and act in his name and with his authority.
Given some of the challenges that have come our way from within the Church over the past several years, it can be very difficult for us to see Jesus present and active in the Church and her bishops, priests, deacons, teachers and lay ministers. It is harder to be open, receptive and welcoming when instead we are suspicious and weary of scandal and confusion.
This is indeed what the enemy of the Church longs to see. When we are suspicious of the Church and the ambassadors that Jesus has sent we are suspicious of Jesus himself. Jesus did not promise us perfect ambassadors, any more than were the prophets of old perfect men and women. We are asked to accept these ambassadors even in their weakness, while praying that they, too, will know the gift of conversion and will grow ever deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ so that they will represent him “worthily and well.”
July 9 – Taking up our Cross is the starting point of faith
Perhaps the great bane of the Northeast of the United States is the speed with which we attempt to accomplish everything. When you travel to other parts of the country and throughout the world they manage, somehow, to do almost everything at a much slower pace. Yes, I know, this drives us crazy. Those who travel here to visit us find the pace frenzied. We aren’t good at relaxing, and when we do relax, it tends to be a speed respite. Of course, our cellphones, laptops and other electronic devices are always close at hand.
These days, with the political tension in our country, with disruption throughout the world, and the constant cacophony of those who offer dire predictions about the near and distant future, a sense of unease and angst can easily overpower our thoughts and words.
We act like all the cares of the world rest on our shoulders. We as individuals, as a nation, or as humanity itself, are singularly responsible for the governance and care of the planet and of the universe. It stands in contrast to the Gospel and to our understanding of creation as the work of God.
Our Gospel passage this week reminds us that Jesus calls us to rest in him … “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
The Lord calls us to abandon that sense of our own self-importance and to place everything on him. When we genuinely respond to God’s call, when we seek in and through him that sense of healing, mercy and consolation, we will find it. He does not abandon us in our weakness, nor does he demand that we rely on our own strength to accomplish the work that he has set before us.
It can take us a very long time to learn that our yoke, the burdens that we place upon ourselves, are much heavier when we attempt to carry them on our own. Yes, it is important to rely on the kindness and generosity of family, friends, strangers, and yes, the Christian community to assist us in meeting certain immediate and tangible needs, but it is not ultimately sustainable without the reliance on the life of faith and the gifts that the Lord desires to offer us.
The Lord challenges us to abandon our sense of self. That is the most difficult step of all. The very notion that instead of working towards success and fame, we must “take up our cross” is a great contradiction to the values of the world.
As consoling as this Gospel passage sounds, it stands for many of us a powerful challenge, and one that seems to offer little by way of hope or comfort. This is the foundation of faith; this is the very starting point from which every act of faith begins. Yes, we might be able to have a relationship with Jesus and think of ourselves as good Catholics or good Christians without starting here, but we eventually have to get back to this fundamental truth before we can have the kind of experience of faith that we believe we have without taking up our cross, placing our burdens on the Lord, and accepting the yoke he wants to share with us.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.