From Our Pastors
In the gospel for this coming Sunday, both John and Jesus are clearly agents of change. They both possess a clear vision of the Reign of God. Each is persistent and asks the tough questions to evoke responses and answers. They lead by example and they build on the trust they have established in their relationships. But Jesus, unlike John is not a solitary voice “crying out in the wilderness.” Throughout his ministry in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus invites, asks, and empowers his disciples to be those through whom God’s redeeming and transforming presence can break open the realities of daily life. When his disciples wanted him to send away the hungry crowds, Jesus told them to feed the people themselves. Despite their protest of inadequate resources and the impossibility of the task, they surrender what they had to Jesus and what happened surpassed anything they thought possible.
We are living through a time in our human history where change is the operative reality. We are challenged by the ongoing pandemic and its effects on our relationships, communities and economics. We are reassessing how individuals and societies experience race, culture and justice. We see the disparities between the first world and the persistent poverty of developing nations. In all this, Jesus invites us to look at our particular lives and see where he is calling us to be agents of change: as we intercede in prayer for one another; as we discuss and reflect on the realities of experiences different from our own; as we seek and act so that “justice and peace shall kiss.” Mahatma Gandhi once wrote: “What you think, you become.” As disciples of Jesus, do we think we are agents of change in the world? When we are presented with what seems impossible, are we willing to bring our inadequacy, our doubt, our weariness to Jesus and surrender to the grace he alone can give? Perhaps this week, we might make one act of surrender and join Jesus in bringing about some change for the Reign of God.
And always, despite the heat, wear your face covering and wash your hands!
Fr. Michael Callaghan, C.O. and Fr. Mark Lane, C.O.
