The Great Commission: This Sunday presents before us the Great Commission of Jesus.
Often the question arises who is a missionary. In the assembly of the faithful today, I asked how many of them were missionaries. None of them raised hands. Earlier, when I was involved in the ministry of education at Rajagiri and Sacred Heart in Kochi, people have asked me, 'Are you in some mission? or are you a missionary?' invariably my answer would be 'yes'. (This implied mission was some territory where Christianity was unfamiliar and missionary, someone who worked to announce the Christian message in such regions.) Then they would further probe as to where or which, and I would respond 'Kalamassery or Thevara'. This usually brings a smile to their face, as they would either think I was trying to be funny, or they would get what I was at.
By accepting to be a Christ disciple, vouching that one is a Christian, ipso facto, one is a missionary, carrying out this great commission of our faith leader. However this presupposes Christ and his message are the first priority for the Christian, and one is passionate about them and feels benefitted by it, and hence wants to share the same goodness with others. In today's India, where the very term missionary is becoming a politically incorrect term, and those bearing the title or the nomenclature of Christian, becoming increasingly vulnerable to all sorts of attack and intimidation, especially the Norther we are, the rigider the anti-sentiment towards Christians. However, the great commission is that we announce this message to all nations, and the best possible way is a true Christian life, lived after the norm of our life, Jesus Christ.
The Great Commandment: What is the mission or proclamation all about? That takes us to the second aspect of today's message: The Great Commandment. The Lord in his parting message instructs all of us to 'teach all nations to observe all that he had commanded'. What is that he has commanded - he had summarised all that into 2 simple statements, 'love God' and its practical aspect 'love neighbour'. The love of the neighbour is the test case, and it is expressed through unconditional and unlimited goodness. St. Paul stresses this when he says that 'you do what is right' or 'do good' irrespective of the adverse situations, irrespective of the failure of the leaders (II Cor 13:7). The test of being a Christian is the ability to follow Jesus who went about doing good - an outpouring of unconditional goodness is what sets a Christian apart from others.
St. Paul adds a dimension of this praxis to Christian leadership. He reiterates the function of leadership, or authority in the church is to promote growth (II Cor 13:10). So the test case for a Christian who exercises office or position of authority is to examine whether that is supportive of the growth of the people who are subjected to such authority.
The Great Promise: But this requires the conviction that 'Christ is within us' (II Cor 13:5), the support of His empowering presence within which can strengthen us always and everywhere. We need this faith, we need this experience. May the Lord fill us with this experience so that we may be able to go about sharing Him. However, this promise is not anything new. The Israelites in their migratory trail from Egypt to the promised land experienced it as an empowering and protecting presence, easily withdrawn in the face of their forsaking the commandments of the Lord. They had a keen sense of this empowering presence, almost physically there around the Tabernacle or in the cloud-by-day or fire-by-night experience. However, they thought it was their own exclusive possession and privilege. This is what Jesus, the Israelite, transforms into an abiding presence within for anyone who seeks. He is the father of all and showers rain (of water and of all graces) on all beyond human boundaries and barriers.
This is the third aspect of today's message as is seen all the passages for reading for Sunday solemnity - the abiding presence of God through Jesus.
Our challenge is to experience that in us, and also in others, and announce that through our lives and relationships with Him, with other human beings and also with the planet and all other beings on it.
PS: As we reflect on the Lord's promise of his presence, we also recall the promise of the land to dwell for the Israelites. In a wider context today, it is the right of every being (human and others) to have the land (earth) for oneself to live with dignity befitting one's life. And Israel-Palestine conflict is one such blot on the planet where millions are getting deprived of this great blessing. The map of the promised land, has shrunk much in size for Israel from Joshua's times. But for Palestinians, it is not even there! So too are several other cases like Ukraine, or Myanmar (Rohingiyas) or several countries of Africa!
Lord, at times, I feel thoroughly lost, and feel like asking 'where is your promise - of the land, and of your abiding presence?' Correct us, strengthen us and heal your world and your people that they may all experience your goodness and abundance of life.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the great promise of your abiding presence to strengthen us in the great mission you have entrusted to us. Lord with the blind man of the gospel, we pray: We want to see. We want to see you! We want to experience you within us, with us! Bless us with your healing and empowering touch, so that we may boldly announce the message of your unlimited goodness to all through our lives. May we do that throughout our life. May we accomplish your commission daily through a life of goodness lived. Amen
Beautiful article with rich content highlighting the significance of the great principles of Jesus in today’s world.
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