Dear Friends,
Before ascending to his Father in Heaven, our Lord Jesus gave his apostles the Great Commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) The Church has been faithful to this mandate of Jesus ever since He left us. Moreover, the Church has come to understand that this commission was given to more than just the apostles and their successors. We have certainly moved away from the notion that evangelization is the prerogative and duty of just the priests and religious. We understand that all baptized people are called to take the Great Commission to themselves.
Yet we know that not all of us can be the kind of missionary who steps outside of his or her boundaries. So how are we to take the gospel message “to all nations?” You might be surprised to know that St. Therese of Lisieux is designated as the patron of the missions, even though she never moved outside the walls and the discipline of her cloistered convent life. How is it then, that she became the patron of those who leave all to carry out the Great Commission? St. Therese wanted so badly to be a missionary in a foreign land, but her very poor health prevented her from going abroad to proclaim the gospel. So she transformed her desire to be an active missionary into doing something she was good at: prayer. She prayed fervently, every day of her life, for those in the mission field.
World Mission Sunday is this weekend, and through it we have a powerful reminder of our call to be missionaries. We in the Diocese of Orlando have a unique opportunity to fulfill our missionary obligation. Our Diocese has adopted the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana in the Dominican Republic through the Church’s missionary Sister Diocese program. This weekend we will reflect on what our financial support does for our brothers and sisters in our Sister Diocese and how the Good News of Jesus Christ is being shared with them.
Through the Sister Diocese Program, the Church’s missionaries have done an amazing job of spreading the Good News. They not only conduct parish missions that share and enliven the Faith, but they also use a multi-pronged approach to build up communities in the remote corners of the world.
This weekend, as we celebrate the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, we hear James and John go to Jesus with this open-ended demand: “We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” (Mark 10:35-45) It might have shocked Jesus to hear such a demand, made without even spelling out what that this would mean. It is like asking your father, give me a blank check, and I will use it for whatever I need.
When these great apostles explain their demand, we are even more shocked: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” (Mark 10:37) How could they dare ask for such privilege and highest honor in the Kingdom that Jesus was to inaugurate? Instead of rebuking them, Jesus leads them – and us – to reflect on the essential requirements for being part of kingdom. He asks them if they are willing to suffer, to drink the cup that He will drink, the cup of His Passion, Death and Resurrection. To our surprise, they do not shy away from this invitation to enter the crucible of suffering with Jesus in order to join Him in His glory.
I am sure we are like these beloved apostles. Our demands are like theirs: we want God to do for us whatever we want. And of course, we want it all without having to endure any real suffering. But Jesus is inviting us today to understand that the greatness of a disciple comes from the hard task of serving others, even to the point of dying to ransom them. What can we do today to attain the type of greatness that Jesus offers? Greatness in Jesus’ kingdom does not lie in moving others to freedom but in doing what we can to bring freedom to others. Greatness for us, as for Jesus’ disciples, lies in accepting suffering for the sake of others. Let us today pray for the grace of understanding that our journey of discipleship must pass through the channel of suffering, if we desire to one day enjoy the glory of the Kingdom.
Prayer in any form is a powerful tool, and we will have the privilege of offering a beautiful expression of our love for God through the new Glorify program. This coming Wednesday, 23 October at 7 p.m., parishioners of all ages are invited to lift their voices, hearts, and hands to God in an hour of contemporary Christian music--songs of praise, thanksgiving, petition, trust, and joy. "Glorify the Lord with me...together let us all praise His Name." (Psalm 34:4) Our God is good, and He is worthy to be praised. So, come and be part of this joyful celebration of God’s goodness to us.
Be Blessed!
With love,
Fr. John