July 12, 2009
Pedro Arrupe, Superior General of the Jesuits from 1965-1983, once termed a Jesuit as a “man for others.” As Jesuits have expanded our understanding of mission to our lay colleagues, we have broadened the usage to be “men and women for others,” but our recent General Congregation 35 goes a bit further by saying that we have to be “men and women ‘with’ others before we can be ‘for’ others.” We get that same sense in our reading today as we hear Mark’s account of Jesus sending his disciples forth with instructions on behavior that are in sync with the goal of the mission. The integrity of their behavior authenticates the mission.
The life of a person on mission is difficult. We see that with Amos, a reluctant prophet, because he is a simple shepherd who is not from a prophetic heritage when he is called to leave behind his undemanding lifestyle for a ministry of prophesying where he will encounter the hardness of heart of many people. Jesus’ disciples are told that, like Amos, their ministry will be challenging because they will endure many rejections, and they are sent on this mission with barebones provisions. They will have to entrust themselves over to the hospitality and generosity of villagers. A missionary has to begin his or her journey as a needy and vulnerable person. We have to ask ourselves, “How needy and vulnerable am I? Am I weak enough to trust in the Lord and in the generosity of others?” We notice, however, the Jesus does not send out the person alone. One needs the safety and care of a companion on the journey.
Why does Jesus send us out with only a paucity of resources? God gives to us freely and we are to give to others out of free choice and free will. If we are spiritually introspective enough, we can become aware of the many ways that we are bound by disordered attachments and fears. Jesus knows that and yet he still sends us. We are to move forward by inculturating ourselves into the community around us. We have to become one with those to whom we bring the good news. Our poverty makes us credible. Our obedience to mission makes us credible. We are called to stay with the people who want to hear the good news so that relationships can deepen and mature. This takes time and trust.
What is the message we are to share? It is contained in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. For a Jesuit, it is an Ignatian “First Principle and Foundation.” It is God who chooses believers, both Jew and Gentile, to belong to God and to share the good news. God’s mysterious plan will come to fulfillment in God’s time and this plan has Jesus Christ as the beginning, the end, and the center of it. We exist for the praise of God’s glory and we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Through Christ, we can know of the mystery of God’s will for us and for the world. This is certainly good news to be praised.
Quote for the Week
“O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of your presence, your love, and your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to you, we shall see your hand, your purpose, and your will in all things.” – St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
Themes for this Week’s Masses
In the Old Testament readings, we begin the Book of Exodus and we listen to the story of the liberation of the Hebrews from their bondage and slavery in Egypt. We hear about the mistreatment of the Hebrews as a new king who did not know Joseph came to power and feared the numerous foreigners. He oppressed them with hard labor and treated them cruelly. We then move to the birth of Moses who will lead the people out of bondage. The adoption of Moses by the Pharaoh’s daughter allowed him to be raised as one of the oppressors, but when Moses’ nationality was discovered, he was banished from Egypt and he settled in Midian. There he has an encounter with the Lord at the burning bush where God is revealed as “I am” and then assigns Moses a mission to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. The Passover occurs assuring the Israelites of safe passage to the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – a day that will be immortalized in the consciousness of every Jew.
As we move further into Matthew’s Gospel, we hear some difficult sayings from Jesus. His mission creates conflict and people begin to wonder about the nature and source of his identity. He does, however, after making some difficult statements, offer comfort to his faithful disciples. “Come to me all 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.”
Saints of the Week
On Monday, Henry, a descendent of Charlemagne, is honored for his integration of ecclesiastical matters with his secular power. He became king of Germany in 1002 and the Holy Roman Emperor in 1014 and is known for his just and prayerful exercise of authority.
On Tuesday, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks and the Apostle of the Indians, is remembered for her service to others and her deep devotion to the Eucharist. She was the daughter of a Christian Algonquin and a non-Christian Mohawk chief. In her youth, she contracted smallpox that left her face disfigured and nearly blind, but she was inspired by Jesuit missionaries and converted to the faith on Easter Sunday 1676.
Wednesday is the celebration of the man Francis of Assisi nicknamed Bonaventure (Good Fortune) because of his cure from a childhood illness. As a doctor of the church, he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Paris and was the predominant voice at the ecumenical council in Lyons that united the Greek and Latin rites. He was a friend and confidant of Thomas Aquinas.
Thursday is the patronal feast of the Carmelites when he celebrated Simon Stock’s reception of the brown scapular by Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites were originally a group of 12th century hermits that settled on Mount Carmel overlooking the plain of Galilee in imitation of the prophet Elijah.
On Saturday, the church memorializes Camillus de Lellis for establishing a religious order that would care for the sick and dying. He discovered the deplorable conditions of hospitals during his convalescence for his diseased leg. He established hospitals for the sick and chaplaincies for the soldiers on the battlefields.
Happy Bastille Day
July 14th commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison-fortress, which is seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation of France. It marks the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy that preceded the First Republic during the French Revolution. Soon after the storming of the Bastille, feudalism was abolished and the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” was proclaimed.
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