|
|
|
|
|
| In
Graham Greene’s novels, “The Power and the Glory” the unlikely hero is a
priest. He is caught by the revolutionary Mexican government, and
condemned to be shot. |
| On
the night before his execution, he sits in his cell and thinks back
over his life. Greene tells us that tears poured down the priest’s face,
not because he was afraid of death, even the fear of pain was in the
background, he was crying because he had to go to God empty handed. His
life had been a dingy failure. It seemed to him, at that moment, that it
would have been easy to be a saint, or an apostle. |
| In
our first reading, we hear about a summit meeting of the apostles. The
original twelve are now eleven, one of the twelve has proved unfaithful,
his life is a dingy failure. He has not simply denied Jesus, as Peter
did. He has not simply run away as all save John did. This one sold
Jesus for silver, and in despair hanged himself. It is time to replace
him, to replace Judas. |
| The
apostles were to witness in so many ways. They were to teach, to
baptize, to do what Jesus did. Put another way, an apostle is a man or
woman who has experienced Jesus, encountered God, and is driven to
proclaim Him to others. |
| Apostles
are not created by ordination; Apostles are created when water flows
over your head at baptism. There is simply not one of you who is not an
apostle, and who was not sent. |
| The
reality is the world’s redemption for which the Son of God died is
impossible without you. Not just difficult, but impossible! Popes may
write encyclicals until the cows come home. Bishops confirm and ordain
and produce pastoral letters ‘til the computer gives out. Priests offer
the sacrifice of the mass from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Theologians compose the most brilliant treatises. But unless the Gospel
is preached in our everyday life, preached in the slums of our cities,
as well as on Wall Street, preached to the wealthy of the world, as well
as to the homeless and jobless, to the politicians as well as the drug
addicted, none of the other stuff matters. |
| Many
times it can only be done by you because you are there, and when you
bring Christ with you to the office, hospital, school, you are an
apostle. Not by preaching in words, but by the way you are, how you
treat those who are weak, those who are not bright and beautiful. |
| You
see, Christ has no body now but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but
yours. We are the Church and what we do, the Church does, and what we
fail to do, the Church fails to do. |
| You
have the gift of faith, and to whom much is given, much is expected. Do
not be like the priest in the story, who at the end of his life had to
go to God empty handed. In the words of St. Francis, preach the Gospel
always. Only when necessary, use words. |
|
| Yours in Christ, |
|
| Fr. Bob Warren, SA |
|
| P.S. You’re invited to join us in prayer during our special Mother’s Day Mass at Graymoor on Sunday, May 13th. Will you send your most heartfelt petitions to me now
for those mothers in our lives who have given freely and selflessly of
themselves for their children? I pray that Mother's Day bring the
special women in your life many blessings, moments bright with promise
and memories warm with love. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment