Happy Father’s Day.
I remember qualities my father possessed in abundance (qualities that all good fathers possess): love, commitment, support, forgiveness, communication. We went to church and spent time together. He had a good sense of humor. Which reminds me of a little story.
In a book, “Children’s Letters to God” a youngster wrote, “Dear God, my daddy thinks he’s you. Please straighten him out. Your friend, Danny.” Kids say the darndest things.
The word of God takes us back to a defining moment in ancient Israel. Moses encounters God on Mt. Sinai; and God renews his covenant with the Hebrews. If they keep God’s commandments, they will be God’s special holy people. This passage challenges us to be faithful to the demands of discipleship, especially as outlined in Matthew chapters 5-7.
Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Rome speaks about the saving work of Jesus Christ. Through his death and resurrection, we have friendship with God again and eternal life. Yes, in death there is a glorious future for his faithful disciples. Paul challenges us to live a life worthy of our calling as sons and daughters of God our Father, as heirs to the promises of the kingdom.
In the Gospel, Jesus goes about his mission or purpose in life: preaching the good news, healing the sick, teaching who God is (a God of love, an all-good, compassionate and forgiving God). Yes, the kingdom of God is at hand. And then he empowers the disciples to continue his mission. They proclaim the “good news: Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of Ancient Israel. The long-awaited Messiah. God’s only-begotten son became “flesh and blood” in Jesus so that this God-man could reconnect us again to God: a God who will transform us into a new kind of spiritual embodiment as He did the earthly Jesus. No more death! No more disease! No more conflicts.
Yes, we shall be like God. A God who is alive in our midst now by the power of the Spirit, especially in the sacramental life of this global community of disciples. A God who will create a new heaven and a new earth when He comes again at the end-time.
God gifted the apostles with faith. They had a unique relationship with Jesus and believed the truths he revealed. They walked with Jesus, talked, ate, prayed with him. They saw him after he rose from the dead, watched him as he was lifted from their sight into heavenly glory. They knew they were loved by him and they loved him. That’s why the apostles were “on fire” with this good news, effective evangelizers as they went about founding Christian communities.
We too are called to be preachers of the “good news,” with a personal relationship with Jesus. Persons of prayer, men and women of integrity, aware of God’s presence—and at times of his absence in our daily lives, persons who are a sort of sacrament, an outward sign of God’s grace to others.
Scripture particularly invites us to reflect upon the dimensions of our own faith. Faith is, first and foremost, a gift from God whereby we begin a relationship with the triune God, a relationship that we nurture through prayer. It is the acceptance of God’s promises as true and a commitment to live accordingly. Faith also includes the essential truths we profess in our Creed.
This faith compels us to grow into a deeper relationship with God, and to share our faith with others. Many of us do this even though we may not realize it. Fathers, mothers, grandparents and siblings share their faith when they teach youngsters the virtues of prayer, generosity, fairness, honesty, and service. So do teachers when they help develop habits of heart and skills of mind that enable students to become good citizens. So do medical professionals when they calm fearful patients. So do citizens who urge legislation to promote human dignity and the common good. We share our faith when we stand up for the truth. The point I want to make is this: whatever we do, our work (done with integrity) can be a ministry if we think about it, a sacrament of God’s presence to others.
I will close with a story about Mother Teresa. She did remarkable things especially for the destitute and dying. More remarkable was who she was, how she came across. A well-known journalist encountered Mother Teresa boarding a train in Calcutta. He wrote: “As I walked away, I felt as though I were leaving behind me all the beauty and all the joy in the universe.” Mother Teresa was a sacrament of God’s presence to this journalist by who she was. When asked if she does not get discouraged by her work with the destitute and dying, she replied, “God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful.”
People look behind what we say to who we are. Be a person of prayer, men and women of integrity, aware of God’s presence—and at times of his absence in our daily life. Be a sort of sacrament, an evangelizer, a preacher of the good news, no matter where we are and what our work. Amen.
