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Sermon by Bishop David L. Moyer
Pentecost 5, June 15,
2008
+In the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
“And he called to him his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and
to heal every disease and every infirmity” (Matthew 10:1).
Jesus’ call to twelve disciples to
be apostles from the larger group of men and women who were following
Him is expressed in a variety of ways in the four Gospels. We hear of
men being called from their vocation as fishermen to be “fishers of
men.” We hear of Jesus spotting a man and then calling him to follow,
as it happened with Levi (Matthew), the tax collector. We hear of Jesus
seeking and finding a man and saying “Follow me,” as it happened
with Philip.
We know from the Gospels that Jesus was
led by the Father to establish the New Israel in taking the Jewish order
and tradition of the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel to a new
level and place with the creation of the Apostolic band of twelve men.
They were called to be trained, equipped,
and sent by Him to first have a share in His threefold ministry of preaching,
teaching, and healing, and then to take full ownership of it in His
Name and by the power of the Holy Spirit after His Ascension and the
Coming of the Holy Spirit. And after them followed successive successors
of their original ministry throughout the ages to take Christ Jesus
into all corners of the world re-presenting Jesus, obedient to His sovereign
choice of men, for “The Church recognizes herself to be bound by the
choice made by the Lord himself” (Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Para. 1577).
Isn’t it interesting and instructional
from what we have just heard in this morning’s Gospel that the twelve
were to “give without pay,” that they were to “Take no gold, nor
silver, nor copper in yourr belts, no bag for your journey, nor two
tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff…” Why? For two reasons: 1. There
was an urgency to their ministry which required a freedom from any personal
provisions and security, and 2. as Jesus said, “...for the laborer
deserves his food” – meaning, they were to trust that God would
provide for their needs from those to whom they ministered.
Now, obviously, the Church from the time
of Constantine’s conversion making Christianity the official religion
of the Roman Empire, and as the Church established herself institutionally
in many lands and nations throughout the ages, moved away from both
an urgency of Apostolic action and from the type of utter dependence
upon others to provide for the Apostles. This is regrettable on certain
levels, but inevitable on others.
The first century world changed, and
has been changing ever since. Change is to be understood as what happens
in the world on so many levels, and as the opportunity for the Church
to speak clearly and authoritatively, and to do what it must do as the
living Body of Christ with the Faith, Order, and message that is the
same yesterday, today, and forever. This is why the foundation
and limits of authority must be clear and trustworthy, and those called
to leadership in whatever time or place they are called must look both
back to what was established by Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of
the Faith once delivered and Apostolic practice and teaching, and forward
to the perfection of the Church in unity and strength. And at the same
time, holding on to and living out an urgency because, as St. Paul stated,
“Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”
(II Corinthians 6:2), and to believe the Lord’s words of correction
and promise, “…do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’
or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles
seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them all” (Matthew 6: 31-32).
We are to bloom where we are planted,
and the blooming occurs when we are men and women of prayer for the
Holy Spirit’s guidance, when we are submitted to the teachings of
Jesus and His Apostles, when we are students of history, when we increasingly
are learning to think theologically (so that we not fall into heresy,
but remain rooted in orthodoxy), and that we know that as far as man
is concerned, he doesn’t change in regard to his deepest needs and
his heart’s true longing.
And I need to say on Father’s Day that
Christian fathers are to realize as well that children are forever the
same in their deepest needs and their hearts’ true longing. Fathers
are to image both the strong and compassionate love of God, learning
more and more what are the marks and ingredients of human fatherhood,
and praying daily to see and understand their children with the eyes
of Christ who as the incarnate Son of God made the Father. He did say
to Philip, “When you see me, you see the Father.”
We here are faced with new challenges,
concerns, trials, and fresh calls to prayer and action. And it will
be for those who follow us. But we believe since Jesus came in the fullness
of time for all times, and because He is a living Lord who promises
to be with us until the end of time, that we can assume our parts and
roles with confidence, conviction, desire, and passion that the mission
of the Church advances until He comes again in power and great glory.
To do this requires that we all be awake
to employ our time, talents, and treasure for God’s glory and for
the common good. No spectators or bench warmers allowed! – rather
an active, trained, and disciplined team that runs the race with perseverance,
being so very thankful that whatever be our calling, there is the over-arching
calling to love and service in the Name of Jesus, and for all to say
as Our Lady did, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
+In the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
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