Saturday of the First Week of Advent
In today’s Gospel we find Jesus equipping and sending the Twelve disciples to participate with him in announcing and ushering in the Kingdom of God. Jesus calls us, too, to be active missionary disciples. As we consider this divine summons today, we might ask ourselves: are we motivated and are we willing? As we prayerfully ponder our vocation as disciples, it’s also worth considering whether we tend to fix our eyes on the task at hand or on the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
As Jesus went about his ministry, Matthew tells us, “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus’ motivation was mercy. His sacred, merciful heart moved him to minister to people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. I might ask myself, as I go about my daily life, how do I see people? Do I recognize the lost as troubled and abandoned? Do I see the unseen? Or am I mostly oblivious to the spiritual and physical state of those around me? If I do notice, what is my response? On a deeper level, what is the motivation underlying my response or lack thereof? As we consider our vocation as missionary disciples, let us ask the Lord to give us his heart of mercy. Let us ask our Blessed Mother to lend us her heart and so desire like she does to lead people to her Son.
Jesus also declared, “"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." As we consider our motivation today and the heart and the attitude behind it, let us also ask ourselves, am I willing to answer Christ’s call to share his love and his Gospel and to minister in his name? Do I want to be a laborer for his harvest? Am I willing to fulfill that responsibility? A few days ago, we celebrated the Feast of St Francis Xavier. Through his willingness to be a laborer for the harvest, he brought hundreds of thousands to the faith. In a letter to St Ignatius of Loyola, Xavier wrote, “Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out like a madman, riveting the attention of those with more learning than charity: ‘What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven and falling into hell, thanks to you!’” I felt gripped and convicted by his statement, “those of you with more learning than charity . . .” I must ask myself, what attitude, attribute, or other obstacle impedes my charity? What is standing in the way of my willingness to respond gratefully and willingly to Christ’s summons to labor for his harvest?
Our Gospel today ends with our Lord’s compelling words, “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." Sometimes we shy away from being active Kingdom participants because we’re too focused on the task at hand which feels daunting and overwhelming. After all, I’m not St Francis Xavier! But when we fixate on the task, we take our eyes off the One who lovingly equips those he calls. Anything that we might do for the Kingdom of God begins and ends in Christ. Apart from him we truly can do nothing, through him and with him and in him, nothing is impossible. The more we grow in intimacy with the Holy Trinity, the more naturally we participate in the divine life. The more we receive and surrender to God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace, the more our obstacles, hindrances, fears, and resistance fall away. A task-oriented focus becomes transactional, and we tend to count the cost, often negotiating with God about his call. But Jesus reminds us, we have received everything from God without cost to us. How could we possibly exact a cost in our response to this vastly generous God?
At some point, as we grow in intimacy with God, our discipleship simply flows from our share in the divine life. We truly become channels of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Free-flowing – freely receiving, freely giving and sharing. I don’t know about you, but that’s where I long to be. Come, Holy Spirit, and sanctify us through and through. Lord Jesus, help us to be motivated by mercy and willing to participate in your harvest of souls. Father, thank you for your infinite, extravagant, perfect love that transforms our hearts and reaches through us to our neighbor.
I’ll see you in the Eucharist,
Elizabeth Wells