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Go, Make Disciples
It’s hard to believe that
three months ago we were just getting ready for the beginning of Lent. Now, as
the Easter season draws to a close, this may be a good time to reflect on where
our spiritual journey has taken us.
Were we able to hear God’s
voice in the midst of our Lenten journey through the desert? Or gain a new
insight about God’s incredible love for us during this Easter Season; perhaps
we have a better sense of what he is calling us to do. How successful were we
in changing some of those habits and behaviors we needed to change about
ourselves - our judging and criticizing others, our negative thinking, our
inertia for self- reflection and sense of superiority, and our gossip…
Three months is not a long
time when you think about it, especially if we are trying to measure such
things as spiritual growth…. It just not a lot of time.
I suspect that three years
isn’t a lot of time either, to make a lot of progress in the spiritual realm.
And yet, that’s, at most, all the time that the apostles’ had to grasp his new
way of thinking and new commandments of loving, forgiving, and serving one
another… friend and enemy alike. They really were, when you think about it, on
the fast track. Once Jesus was gone, that was it. It was all up to them to
spread the word throughout the world.
Imagine if you were the one
who Jesus told to, “Go into the whole
world and proclaim the gospel to every creature”. What would you do? How
would you begin?
Well, guess what? You and I, yes, we are the ones Jesus
is telling to go into the world and proclaim the Good News.
In his Apostolic Exhortation
on Evangelization in the Modern World[1],
(or as they say in Rome, Evangelii Nuntiandi- December 8, 1975 – the feast of
the Immaculate Conception),
Pope Paul VI wrote:
“Those who
sincerely accept the Good News, through the power of this acceptance and of
shared faith therefore gather together in Jesus' name in order to seek together
the kingdom, build it up and live it. They make up a community which is in its
turn evangelizing. The command to the Twelve to go out and proclaim the Good
News is also valid for all Christians, though in a different way…. Moreover,
the Good News of the kingdom which is coming and which has begun is meant for
all people of all times. Those who have received the Good News and who have
been gathered by it into the community of salvation can and must communicate
and spread it”.
My
brothers and sisters, there is a saying that goes, “Faith isn’t taught, it’s caught”. Jesus’ work of salvation has been
accomplished. What remains is our participation in that work that calls us to
spread the Good News, to be living witnesses of the faith that we profess, to
do as St. Francis was fond of telling his followers….to go out and preach the
gospel, and when necessary, use words.
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Deacon Tom writes ©
Sharing In Christ’s Joy
We read in today’s gospel that Jesus wants to share
his joy with us “Completely”. The joy
that he wants to share with us has its source in the words the Father gave him.
But living those words, Jesus tells us, puts us at odds with the world, “I gave them your word, and the world hated
them, because they do not belong to the world”. Jesus leaves little doubt about where our loyalties
lie.
It is natural for us to want to have as much joy in
this life as we can get. How we find that “joy” is the essence of our spiritual
journey. How often we confuse happiness with joy! Happiness depends upon our
circumstances and the events that happen to us. I am happy when something good
happens to me such as making a new friend, winning the lottery or getting that
new car or job, just as I may be sad when I have a reversal of good fortune. Happiness
doesn’t last. We always need something else each tomorrow to renew our
happiness. If we don’t find something new to enthrall us, we very often end up
down in the dumps. Here in America it seems that happiness is available for a
price. At least that’s what Madison Avenue would have us believe. Isn’t that
the message that advertisers are selling…You will be happy if you drive this kind
of car, or if you wear this suit or go on this vacation…if you buy this or that?
Joy is something else completely. It is an interior state of being. Being joyful has
nothing to do with my circumstances or what is happening in my life. Joy has REAL
staying power. As a matter of fact, one can be full of joy while experiencing
extreme hardships in life. The Perfect Joy of St. Francis was in serving God completely by renouncing all but the
necessities of life. Most of us wouldn’t find the joy in that! I have encounter
people with true joy in soup kitchens, lying in a hospice bed, mourning the
loss of a loved one…The Anawim, God’s lowly, disenfranchised, poor, humble
people seem to have found the secret to the perfect joy Christ intends for his
disciples.
Today we are invited to share Christ’s joy completely by listening to the “Word” and letting it take root in our hearts,
elevating our love and service to one another. Let us grow deeper in our
relationship with Christ so we can choose to live in that complete joy that only he can give and which lasts forever over the
happiness of the world that never satisfies and always leaves us wanting for
more.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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