apostles
As Jesus called and sent the Apostles, he calls and will send us.
“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority” (Lk 9:1).
Just as Jesus summoned the Twelve, he does so with us and empowers us for mission in his name. The mission of the Church in each generation is to continue to ministry of Jesus and the Apostles. The expression of our service is unique to each of us. We might resist exploring or entering into a deeper commitment of our faith though because we might feel anxious or afraid that God may call us to do something that we would never want to do, or that we couldn’t conceive of being capable of. There also may be some trepidation even when we are clear of the direction God wants us to move in which may arise from our hesitancy to change and move out from our comfort zone. Ultimately, God wants for us what we want for ourselves deep down. We may not even know what that is, but God does.
God knows what will give us and with whom we will experience meaning, fulfillment, and joy in our lives. The challenge for us is to come to know this for ourselves as well. The work of discipleship begins by accepting the invitation of God to walk with him and trust that he knows what he is doing and where he is leading! No matter our age, we are never too young or too old to begin or recommit to the journey along the path of discipleship. One good practice is to reflect on our dreams and desires, bring them to God in prayer, and imagine ourselves embracing what we desire.
When I first joined the Franciscans to study for the priesthood in the early ’90s, I imagined from time to time my ordination day, especially in our second year as we were thinking about taking temporary vows. When I did so, a puzzling result consistently arose. I did not experience any excitement or joy. So, a year and a half into formation, I decided to take a leave of absence. I had asked to take off a year, but the minimum time for a leave of absence was two.
Though I balked at first about the two-year time frame required, I came to see the wisdom of my formation director. I would have come back after a year. About a year and a half after I left, I then realized that my vocational path was leading me to the Sacrament of Matrimony and not Holy Orders. Eighteen months after I came to that realization, I met JoAnn. As our relationship grew and we began to talk about marriage, whenever I envisioned our wedding day, I felt excitement and joy. Each year that we had together built on the one before. We grew closer to God and each other right up until the day of her death.
God led me to the Franciscans in my mid-twenties, he then led me out, and then to JoAnn. Almost three years after JoAnn’s death, he led me to seminary to be formed as a diocesan priest. Periodically when I imagined my ordination day, even though the schedule was more intense this time around, unlike during my novitiate year with the Franciscans, this time I felt excited. A year and almost two months after being ordained a priest, it is still more amazing than I could have ever imagined!
God loves us more than we can ever imagine, he has a plan for each and every one of us, and he knows what will fulfill us. When we ponder our dreams and desires, and as we investigate, research, explore potential opportunities and continue to pray and discern each step, we will come to see that as we align ourselves with God’s will that makes all the difference. We are not alone in this process, and we have a God who can see the full picture, where we see only a small part.
There will be fits and starts, missteps and slips, doubts as well as confirmations, and desolations as well as consolations. The key through it all, is to remain faithful, to continue to trust in Jesus who called us. He will continue to accompany us along the way. As he did with the Apostles, he will give us the resources and strength we need, and he will send the Holy Spirit to empower and transform our lives.
The process of discerning God’s will for our lives is not just for ourselves alone. Jesus is preparing us for mission. Making time to be silent, to meditate and pray with God, coming to know better his will and to put into practice his teachings, we will be transformed daily by the gift of God’s love. Continuing to breathe, receive, rest, and abide in his love, we will better know how best to serve God in others!
Photo: We too are called like St. Peter and St. Paul.
For Mass readings see bible.usccb.org and click on the link for Wednesday’s readings.
Following Jesus and St. James, we can learn to listen, love, and serve.
“The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She answered him, ‘Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom’” (Mt 20:21-22).
The context of this request from the mother of the sons of Zebedee, James and John, comes from reading a few verses before the quote above. Start reading at Matthew 20:17 and you will see that Jesus and his twelve apostles are heading toward Jerusalem. Jesus stops to share with them, for the third time, that he will be condemned and crucified.
Jesus’ statement of his imminent suffering and death appears to be ignored by the mother of James and John. The other ten are indignant, not because of the apparent lack of acknowledging Jesus’ statement, but about who is the greatest among them! It is easy to imagine how a chaotic scene could then insue! As Saint John Chrysostom wrote: “See how imperfect they all are: the two who tried to get ahead of the other ten, and the ten who were jealous of the two” (Chrysostom 1975, 1552)!
This event is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Mark has James and John speaking for themselves, not their mother, as in Matthew. Luke does not even record the initial request of James and John at all but comes in at the point of the apostle’s dispute. What all record, including the Gospel of John, is Jesus’ interjection where he made it clear to his apostles that he came to serve, not to be served. To follow Jesus meant, not that James and John would be given positions of honor and power in the worldly sense, the sitting at his right or his left, but that they were to serve as he served, to love as he loved.
As disciples of Jesus, one of the most powerful ways we can serve, the most powerful ways we can love, is to be truly present, done most effectively when we actively listen. This is done when we look at each other, resist the temptation of thinking about our own needs, and/or thinking about what we are to say. We put the book down, set the work aside, turn off the tv, put away the cell phone, disengage our thoughts, and instead look at and listen to what the person before us has to say.
This discipline becomes easier when we are willing to do the same with God who we can’t see. We do so when we are willing to be still, to stop, breathe and set everything aside, even our thoughts, to be present with and listen to Jesus. One does not have to come before the other. In the course of the day, it is good to have quiet times with Jesus and also intentional time with family members, friends, colleagues, as well as those to whom, in the past, we may not have given the time of day.
Jesus came to love, to listen, and to serve. May we too give of ourselves with our time and undivided attention toward those he directs us to love, listen, and serve. When we are present with one another the other gift of grace is that we experience the love of the Holy Spirit between us. St. James surrendered his pride and learned this practice well, and he has helped me on multiple occasions. St. James, pray for us!
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Painting: St. James by Guido Renin (1636-38)
Chrysostom, St John. Homily. The Liturgy of the Hours: According to the Roman Rite. Vol. 3. NY: Catholic Book Publishing, 1975.
Parallel Gospel passages to review:
Mark 10:35-45; Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 22:24-27 and John 13:12-17
Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, July 25, 2024
Spiritual Stepping Stones 