Sent on Mission
by Fr. Erasto Fernandez
We come now to the end of the celebration, but we immediately remind ourselves that the Eucharist and the values it inculcates never end. Ideally, we celebrate what we have lived which means that we bring our very lives to the celebration. But we also ought to live what we celebrate, taking the celebration with its principal attitudes, particularly thanksgiving, back into daily living. As the Preface reminds us: 'It is right to give him thanks and praise… it is our duty and our salvation to praise God, always and everywhere' Having been enriched by the renewal of the covenant with the Father, having strengthened our living union with him through the Word and the Bread, we are sent out to sanctify the world through our very lives.
Eucharist, a Commitment
From the way St. Luke's presents the Last Supper (22:14-38) we learn that for the Lukan Christians, celebrating the Eucharist was primarily an act of commitment to continue the work of building God's kingdom. They were reminded that in this process, the two great obstacles they already faced in achieving their objective were: Self portrayed by the betrayal of Judas and Fear personified in Peter's denial. Both of these were evident in the life of their communities and at times, even while they celebrated Eucharist. That these two are also prominently present in the lives of most of us is beyond doubt, yet the Lord assures us of his presence and of his Spirit to guide us at every step. So, as we conclude our celebration we are commissioned to go out and transform the world, to live out the transformation we ourselves have experienced in the Eucharist.
While this might sound a very daunting task, yet when we ask ourselves what it means to extend God's kingdom, the matter appears as very simple and clear. All that God asks of us is to spread the message and reality of his infinite and unconditional love - not just through words, but primarily in action. "Greater love than this no man has that he lay down his life for his friends." Having participated in the Eucharist, we ourselves become 'bread that is broken for a new world'. We remember Jesus' words to his apostles at the feeding of the five thousand: 'You yourselves give them something to eat!' Could this be translated also as" 'You give them yourselves to eat'? We break of ourselves constantly and give of our very being (and not just our material goods) to those who are in need thus ensuring that there is not a single person who is wanting in any way. As far as possible, we seek to spread this attitude of self-giving among those we live with, knowing full well that not everyone will respond positively. Further, the persons who choose the path of selfishness and self-gain or fear will resent our very presence and will do everything in their power to make life difficult for us. And since Evil always seems to be more powerful than Good in practice, we would need to be ready even for persecution and death as we work to build God's kingdom of love.
The Mystery of Faith - Life through Death
Yet, we recall what we have celebrated is the 'mystery of our faith': Christ has died but he is risen and will come again in glory. So we realize that if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we too will have to embrace death (in all its forms: rejection, ridicule, ostracism, criticism and ultimately physical death too) - but that will not be the end of the story. Like Jesus and with Jesus we too will be raised to share in his eternal glory. Where this faith is really strong, Christians will do a lot to transform the world and make it a better place to live in, for themselves and for others. In a world steeped in corruption and immorality, the Christian can and does stand out as an honest upright person who will not give, and much less receive, a bribe, who can be relied upon in everything and who honours his word, no matter what the consequences. When everyone around him tends to be lazy and reactive to all the negative situations prevailing, or confines himself to prayer as the only possible means of changing things, the Christian who lives his Eucharist can be and is proactive, even ready to sacrifice himself for the benefit of his brethren. He faces the challenge squarely and finds new and creative ways of living his mission of love. Thus, Christian living can be very demanding at times, requiring of us that we be totally selfless and fearless in our following of Christ.
In the Gospels Jesus describes the role and power of his followers in terms of them being the salt of the earth, the leaven in the dough and the light of the world. It is revealing to see what this really means in practice, when we tease out the deeper meaning of these metaphors. Firstly, all three objects are small and almost insignificant and yet possess a tremendous power to influence their surroundings. A small amount of each brings huge benefits and change in the prevailing situation. Secondly, each of the three is not meant for itself alone and its own growth and preservation: each is radically oriented towards something else. All three find their fulfillment precisely in giving of themselves to others. Thirdly, they do not draw attention to themselves except when they are absent in a given situation. Thus, we immediately notice when a dish has no salt or even less salt than is necessary. But when there is sufficient salt, hardly anyone pays attention to salt as such: it is taken for granted. This is what the Christian is challenged to be and do - influence the world for the better silently yet effectively wherever he is, and that too just by being himself, by being what s/he is meant to be - bread broken for the life of the world.
Church: Community and Support
Undoubtedly, we are helped in all this by the example and presence of other like-minded Christians who join hands with us. Thus, while it is very difficult for one Christian alone to publicly fight against injustice and oppression of the poor, or to redress an unjust situation in society, this becomes relatively easy when several get together as a body. And here too the Eucharist is our strength for it brings us together as a body, all sharing the same Word of God and hence having the same vision for world and society. At the Eucharist, all are nourished by the same food, Christ, and energized to produce the same effect: a world in which all live as brothers and sisters in harmony and love. Thus, through Eucharist, we share a common vision of God's kingdom and equally we share our responsibilities in this task of bringing about this kingdom by each one contributing his/her special gifts and talents. When any one person fails, the others are there to correct, support, lift up and set him/her again on the path of fidelity. Thus bearing one another's burdens, the Church as a body, is Christ extended today in flesh and blood, working at his mission to spread God's kingdom here on earth.
It is helpful to recall that even with the best of cooperation from every single Christian, this work will always remain little, insignificant and apparently a failure. In the three comparisons referred to above: salt, light and yeast, the Church is indicated as being a tiny yet effective reality in the world. Besides, there are bound to be weeds among the wheat and wolves eager to devour the sheep, as Jesus himself foretold. Hence, we should not expect total success or even accolades for our work of building God's kingdom. Our true reward comes from him who sent us. When Peter asked: 'Look, Lord, we have left everything to follow you; what about us?' Jesus replied: "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life" (Mt. 19:27-29).
Luke records something similar in the context of the Last Supper, the farewell meal of Jesus: "You are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials; and now I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father conferred one on me: you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel." If we can put our faith in these words of Jesus we would have the courage to step out and change the world around us. But if we look for immediate rewards, we would soon be discouraged in the face of all the difficulties we encounter. Sometimes, these obstacles will come from our own kith and kin, members of our own communities or even from our co-workers, people who we could have presumed would help us - but instead, they are the ones who pose all kinds of difficulties. At other times, it would be outsiders whose vested interests are threatened who will prove to be our major opponents.
In the Preface No. V for Sundays, we pray: … "All things are of your making, all times and seasons obey your laws, but you chose to create man in your own image, setting him over the whole world in all its wonder. You made man the steward of creation, to praise you day by day for the marvels of your wisdom and power, through Christ our Lord." Thus, each Eucharist we celebrate thrusts us forward towards the ultimate fulfillment of God's Kingdom, bouyed by our hope in Jesus' assurance: "do not be afraid, I have overcome the world." Even though we see very little by way of success, we continue, knowing that the work of Jesus is always an apparent failure. We need to go through death as we await the resurrection.
Do not be afraid, little flock,
for it is your Father's good pleasure to grant you the kingdom.
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Copyright © Fr. Erasto Fernandez. All rights reserved.
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