Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 7, 2021 - Wednesday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a and Matt 10:1-7]Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.....Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" [Matthew]
There comes a moment in the life of every priest, teacher, lawyer, healthcare professional, etc. when the classes are over and the certifying process is completed and now they must exercise the profession that they have labored so long and hard to acquire! And, no matter how thorough the preparation has been, inevitably one of the first encounters they have with a client, patient, pupil, etc. presents them with something that wasn't covered in the classroom!!! (This is when the gray-haired veterans come in handy!) I do not doubt that the twelve disciples also had encounters like this [Matthew 17:19] when a given problem just won't yield to all those studies and internship experiences. It is the beginning of a long road of ministry.
Dioceses now have all kinds of certification processes for various ministries in addition to the degrees that applicants may bring with them. There are even ceremonies to mark the official beginning of a ministry - "commissioning," "installation," "ordination." But each person who goes through this should understand that it is the Lord's Work and not ours. In baptism, we receive the fundamental call to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven. Some of us will take on a formal role in that regard: priest, deacon, Extraordinary Minister of Eucharist, lector, youth minister, music minister, etc. etc. But the title is not the work. Whatever is accomplished must find its roots in the Lord's commission. Jesus warns his disciples to expect resistance but he also promises great rewards. AMEN