Fait-Discipleship-Word of God

WEEKDAY 26 04 – Year I

A Six-Pack for Discipleship

(Nehemiah 8:1-12; Ps 19; Lk 10:1-12)

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Was there ever a moment when a passage of scripture brought tears to your eyes?

That was the experience of the exiles who returned to Jerusalem and assembled around the priest Ezra to hear the words of the Law proclaimed. That reading from Nehemiah, focused on God’s Word, along with the gospel about discipleship and their missioning, provide us with six key elements of discipleship – you could say, a six-pack for discipleship.

First of all, the numbers are significant to the Jews. 3 + 4, perfect numbers, equal 7, a perfect number, times 10, another perfect number, become 70, an even more perfect number. The implication here is that the choosing and sending of disciples for Jesus holds the promise of wholeness, completion, fulfillment, an anticipation of something great to come. Our discipleship can be a sharing in that excitement.

Second comes trust in providence. Jesus tells his disciples to take little for their journey. We are not to worry too much over what we have or what we own. The particular charism of Emelie Gameline, founder of the Sisters of Providence, was precisely trust in divine providence. On the wall at the Providence Renewal Centre here in Edmonton, visitors and guests are greeted by a plaque on the wall proclaiming her belief that God’s providence would be present before the sun rises on each day, and that can be an inspiration for us.

Third is the encouragement Jesus gives his disciples to live with the people, in their homes. I lived with Indigenous families three different times during my language learning efforts – at Goodfish Lake (miyo-kinosew sâkahikan), in Onion Lake (wîhcekaskosîwi-sâkahikan, or stinking grass lake), and in Gift Lake (macihiciwayisihk). All were very positive language learning experiences, and also, I think, very effective ministry. I would recommend learning the language of the Indigenous peoples to any priests or pastoral agents working among them as an excellent way to be with and get to know them. Fr. Susai Jesu OMI, now pastor of Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, did that and it has certainly marked and enhanced his ministry.

Perhaps we can’t literally live with a family, but certainly we are being asked to closely connect to the people we serve. Pope Francis is a good example for us here, encouraging bishops and priests to get out of their residences and mix in with the people, as he himself does. I am proud to say that one of the comments I often hear about the Oblates is that we are precisely “close to the people.”

Fourth, our ministry is to have a healing dimension. Helping people experience salvation would be another way to describe it. The phrase, “God accepts us as we are but believes in whom we can become” expresses that dynamic healing dimension. A woman at a Marriage Encounter training weekend in Toronto, when asked to describe how she felt when she achieved intimacy with her husband, said that it felt like there were no walls, boundaries or barriers between them. As I listened, I thought to myself that she was experiencing salvation in her relationship with her husband. Marriage Encounter was injecting a healing dimension into their relationship. Our discipleship should always include a dimension of healing.

Fifth is being a Servant of the Word. The second reading from Ezra puts the emphasis on the Word of God. The Jewish exiles had returned from captivity. This was a historical moment when the Pentateuch was publicly reintroduced and received communal sanction. The people had a daylong retreat on the Word of God with Ezra the priest-scribe and Nehemiah the governor together representing the political and religious leadership of the people. This was an emotional event, a true celebration – they found joy in the Word and worshipped God.

This incident parallels Sinai, with God’s teachings received by the entire people, transforming them into the “People of the Book.” It is ultimately Torah study, the Word of God that will assure their survival. As a result, public reading of the Torah became a weekly feature of Jewish Synagogue worship, much like our Liturgy of the Word. Likewise, Scripture must be our main companion, especially for our prayer. Helping people fall in love with the Word of God is an important part of our discipleship.  Pope Francis has just announced his intention for the third Sunday of Ordinary Time to have a special focus on the Word of God, and that is good news.

Above all, we are to proclaim the Kingdom of God, mentioned twice in the gospel. Jesus came to inaugurate the reign of God among us. My motto as an archbishop is “Regnum Dei Intra Vos” – “The Kingdom of God is Among You.” That is the bigger story we are involved in as disciples – participation in the mission of Jesus to redeem and sanctify humanity. We are to proclaim, teach and live the reign of God as a present-day reality. We are to live what can be called realized eschatology and help others do the same. An essential element of discipleship is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and to do so with joy, for as the reading from Ezra states, “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” To think that God gives us joy to strengthen us is an awesome reality – all part of God’s kingdom which is made up of peace, joy and the justice of the Holy Spirit.

Joy is more than a passing emotion – it is a gift of the Holy Spirit we can claim as disciples, regardless of what is happening in our lives. Peace is also more than a passing emotion – it too is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And justice, a right relationship with God, others, ourselves and all of God’s creation, is another gift of the Holy Spirit. In all these ways, we are called to proclaim and live the Kingdom of God.

Two persons who strike me as disciples of Jesus are Lucie Leduc, director of Star of the North and Debbie Doorbos, former director of programming at Providence Center. Both are women of faith, both in love with Jesus, both aware of building up the reign of God through their ministry, and both filled with joy in their ministry of helping others grow in faith, hope and love. Can we see ourselves as disciples along with these two women who stand out in my mind at the moment?

The Eucharist we share now is what Jesus shared with his disciples and apostles at the Last Supper. It is a blend of joy, a sharing in the Kingdom meal, a listening to the Word of God, and an intimate moment with the Lord in communion.

It concludes by missioning us to go out as disciples to carry out a healing ministry, to be Servants of the Gospel, to proclaim the Kingdom of God to the world, and to do so with joy, for the joy of the Lord is our strength.