Verbum Dei UK

Ecclesiasticus35:12-14,16-19; 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 ;. Luke 9:1-6

MEDITATION

This Sunday God is calling us to the mission.

The Gospel is of Jesus asking his apostles to go preach and cure. The first reading is of Sirach saying that God will eventually answer petitions and cure sorrow and evil in our world. The second is of Paul, the hard-working missionary, saying that he trusts that the love of God will overcome all of his problems. Jesus sends them to cure diseases and here I am in a wheelchair! But I must say I feel very lucky. I've been rescued many times from the mouths of a few lions… especially that of the lion I see when I look in the mirror!

This can often be a 'dark' world, lacking hope and love. The suicide rate in Irish 15 to 25 year old males multiplied by 4 in the late 20th century, and according to recent statistics, suicide is the third leading cause of death of adolescents in Ireland. This world may often be dark, even though the 'light of Christ' has come to us. In the sermon on the mount He says "Nobody lights a lamp to put it under a table" (Mt 5:14). So let's not hide it or keep the News for ourselves but proclaim it to the whole human family. How blind we are if we don't spread the Gospel!

One thing is to accept the call to play some role in the mission of Christ like an employee fulfilling a duty in order to obey his employer, but another is to make a loving effort in the mission for a friend… like a doctor who really cares for his patients and appreciates that there's a lot at stake... and that there is a cure! I want to love all men and women well. This task is much more than a simple fulfillment of instructions like a machine. It depends on our-selves having a heart, a healthy living faith and trust in Christ.

In the parable of 'the prodigal son' (Luke 15 ), when the son made it home, the Father had sandals put on his feet, and it makes me think of a Father who wants the son to travel out and help many other children to make it home. Maybe that's because I'm a missionary, or maybe just because I'm a child of my Father God – as we all are! And many are overcome by a challenging world because they're not really aware of this. In many homes you have to ask where have they got Jesus hidden? The tomb is more than may seem! In the parable of the lost sheep, just before the prodigal son, the Good shepherd doesn't just send a dog, but he lovingly goes after the sheep himself and carries it back. So it's relevant when Jesus says "If you love me, feed my sheep" (John 21:16 ). But our risen Lord communicating needs translators! For example, when Francis Xavier went to Japan he needed 'Brother Lorenzo' to translate. Today Christ needs us!

Many haven't woken up to the gift of Eternal life. It's as if a raffle ticket was pulled but the winner didn't realize it because he had stuck the ticket in the bottom of his pocket! Our mission is to help people to know the Good News and to receive their prize. And the mission doesn't require a huge theological training. Kiko Arguello (founder of the Catechumenal movement) was 'converted' at first by a nursing nun who left him wondering 'how come that lady smiles so much?'. St Charles Borromeo (memorial Nov 4) wrote this: 'Make sure that your life and conduct are sermons in themselves.'. With my MS I can't preach as before but hopefully my life and conduct can!

Imagine if you were on a train and asked a passenger in the seat beside you for what destination station they're heading and they replied "I don't know", wouldn't you help them find out?

Our founder Jaime has travelled throughout the world but says he's never met a bad person – just one's that simply don't know the truth. God created us all in his image and likeness. His dream is to clarify hearts so the image can become a reality.

On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13 +) the disciples were asked by a 'stranger' what it was that they were discussing. They were discussing Jesus and his death. It turned out that the 'stranger' was Christ himself. I think that's teaching us that the person on our path through life who's wondering why we're Christians isn't just the 'stranger' that you think but it's also Christ asking you to spread the Good News. Of course the prologue to that Good News needs you to be visibly happy and loving... even in the midst of problems! Even if you're incapacitated in a wheelchair!

The mission of us all involves helping people to pray with God's Word. If you come across a foreigner moving around by car and low on petrol then you don't simply give him a little bottle of petrol. You show him where the petrol station is! So we try and guide people to the Word of God.� But can we really bear fruit? On our own, no! Jesus says that it's when the branch is attached to 'the vine' that it bears fruit in plenty! The vine is the Word that became flesh and dwells among us. So we want to stay connected by aa life of prayer.

As Jesus gazed over Jerusalem he cried and said� "How often have I longed to gather your children as a bird gathers her young under the wing" (Matthew 23:37 ). The city of back then represents the family of God in the world today.

Also of course, it would be a mistake to rely on people's welcome. We spread the news to please God, and we should be free of whether people give thanks to us or not. We just want them to give thanks to God! Think of Moses trying to get his people to escape from their slavery in Egypt: 'But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to him because of their dejection and hard slavery. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go and tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites leave his land." But Moses protested to the LORD, "If the Israelites would not listen to me, how can it be that Pharaoh will listen to me, poor speaker that I am!"' (Exodus 6:9-12 ). But the end result was good! Eloquence isn’t required!

When I was walking down a street in San Francisco once, a passer-by was throwing a porno-mag in a bin and out of the blue he turned to me and asked if I wanted to take it for free. I spontaneously said “no thanks” and walked away but I should have made the effort to talk to the guy about the search for pleasure and for love. I should have invited him to have a chat and perhaps accompany me on my way to a talk with a group about our faith!

Seeing some good results of our labours is a joy, but it shouldn't ever supercede the joy of the Eternal Life that Christ has offered. The Gospel says this: 'The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." ...and Jesus said do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."' (Luke 10:17-20 ).

I saw a movie on T.V. (called 'My Life') about a middle-aged married man diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was free of pain, and was preparing videos for his unborn child, meeting up with family members of his past, and simply biding his time, but unfortunately, there was no mention at all of Christ! I think that it was nice, but shallow. It was like putting effort into a picture frame and varnish etc., but forgetting about putting in the picture itself!

God longs to give eternal life and joy to all his children but He won't impose – he waits for people to seek and St. Paul wrote this: 'How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!" (Rom 10:14-15 ). My feet aren't very beautiful or useful now, but at least I have a wheelchair and a keyboard!

What a joy it will be to hear the words of Christ when we die: "When I was in trouble, you cared for me. Now enter into the house of my Father" (Matthew 25 ). It's not unusual to doubt if we'll be able to do much, but Jesus says this: "I've been given all power in heaven and earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28 ). "You'll do my works and even greater" (John 14:12 ). We're not able but He is!

Jesus wants 'repentance for sins' proclaimed, but that's bloody Good News because the repentant gets forgiven! In other words, the door to Heaven has been opened. Christ doesn't just proclaim this, but goes through a horrible crucifixion in order to convince us. So I'd sum up my proclamation to the world like this: “Yahoooo!”.

We should be confident and yet humble. Jesus says "You'll do my works and even greater if you're willing to die like a grain of wheat" (John 14:12 ). So we begin mass saying with humility "I confess...".

It's annoying that with MS I can't walk out or travel as before, but I feel as if Jesus is saying "Neither can I"... "unless men and women lend me their feet". He can't talk unless they lend him their voices - or whatever way they have of getting a message across. We're called to be 'living letters' as St Paul wrote (2 Corinthians 3:2-3 ), so I'll try to be a living e-mail!

.............Dara.

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