Dear Friends,
A quick update on the new “rectory”. The condo has been repainted and some furniture has been moved in to it. Since we are having to replace many items or wait until the Paul Davis Company has finished cleaning them, it is a place in transition. We have another six weeks on the lease agreement for the condo I am living in now, so I do not have to be in the new place until it is almost ready. I will have an open house in September so that you can see where Cabrini is providing a place for its clergy to live. I think you will like its uniqueness and the sense of history with this neighborhood.
In today’s gospel, Jesus sends out the Twelve to proclaim the gospel – to practice what they will do after the resurrection. Jesus was a great disciple maker because he taught his disciples how to make other disciples. When Jesus was with his disciples he always kept the end goal in mind. He wanted disciples who after hearing his teaching were changed from the inside out. Once they had matured a little bit, he sends them out to teach others. As you have heard me say before, it is a bit like the old teaching method for surgeons – watch one, do one, teach one. In CEC (the Christians Encounter Christ movement) we teach “make a friend, be a friend, bring your friend to Christ”.
Perhaps the Twelve were hesitant to go out and do what Jesus was doing. Maybe they thought they were not ready. Maybe they wanted to learn a bit more before they put what Jesus was teaching into practice, but the best way to learn the message of Jesus was to live the message and offer it to others. Jesus knew this.
Have you felt sent out by Jesus? You are. Have you shared your faith in Jesus with your friends and coworkers? I know, the first time is a bit scary. So, it is important to remember three things with those first few times you try to talk to others about your own belief in the gospel. First, God is the one who is working – not you. Second, you are simply a tool in God’s hands. As Mother Teresa famously said, “I’m like a little pencil in His hand. That’s all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only to be allowed to be used.” And third, the person you are talking with is the one who is responding to God’s message not yours.
Our job is to pray that God will act through us and then to watch for God to do so. God is always drawing people and we simply get to be there when the transformation takes place. It is a temptation from the evil one that tells us we are not good enough to share the gospel or that we do not know enough yet or that we need to be able to answer deep theological questions before we even begin to share the gospel or tell others we really love Jesus and what he taught. If you fall for that temptation, you will never be ready.
I love to watch what coaches do with their new players, how they get them ready to play. So much of what great coaches do with players is about the relationship between them and the players. They are a great example to us on how to introduce people to the good news and then begin forming them to be disciples of Jesus. Now it is your turn, as it was for the disciples, to give it a try.
Peace,
Fr. Damian