Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
More than 2,000 years since the birth of Christ, with the development of modern means of travel and technology allowing access to and communication with practically the entire world, I think it’s safe to say that few adults have never heard of Jesus. So how do we respond to today’s first reading, Paul’s letter to the Romans (15:14-21)? I am especially drawn to this passage ending with Paul quoting Isaiah, “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”
What occurred to me in reflecting on this passage today is that unlike in the time of St. Paul’s writing his letter to the Romans, we are faced with the problem not of telling people about Jesus, but of healing, renewing and restoring (to quote our parish theme) people’s understanding of Jesus. I’m thinking of the many people I have encountered who reject Jesus and Christianity because of the hurt, division, and misperceptions brought about by the sinfulness and failings of those who profess to be Christian (Catholic and non-Catholic alike).
What is our role as disciples of Jesus in the 21st century? How are we being called to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus today? There’s a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi that you may have heard, “If all Christians acted like Christ, the whole world would be Christian.” Whether Gandhi actually said those words, I’m not certain, but the point is clear: as a whole, Christians have not represented Christ and Christianity well. What about you and I?
We cannot do this alone. We need community, the entire “body of Christ,” through the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring Jesus’ true presence and healing to the world. Let us pray for the guidance, wisdom and courage to live our vocation as Christians in our daily lives. As today’s reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans begins, “I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness…” May we bring that same “goodness” to everyone we encounter: healing, renewing and restoring the name of Jesus Christ in the world.
—Eileen Miller