Just a word before we go...Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time...June 18, 2023

During my interview for acceptance into the doctoral program at Fordham, I distinctly remember being told that earning a Ph.D. was not for my sake, but for the sake of others.  The degree was not an end in itself, but rather a commissioning to impart to others what you had learned, to empower others to think critically and reflectively on their lives and on the roles they were to play in this world.  The hope was that with the help of the Holy Spirit, that degree might promote the common good, encourage many to find greater meaning in their lives, and lead others to look for the good, the true and the beautiful...that is...God...in all creation.

In our gospel today, Jesus gives his followers a mission to continue his work in the world.  Jesus empowered them to do as he did, and commissioned them to do so. He prayed for co-workers in the vineyard of the world, to spread the message of God’s great love, and the responsibilities to others that love entails.  Jesus’ followers were able to take up the challenge of walking in his footsteps not on their own, but by the grace of God that transformed them, building on their nature to equip them for their journeys.

All of us have been given gifts, gifts that are to be used for our good, yes, but even more so, for the benefit of others.  We do not own the grace we receive or the faith we practice, but are to be transformed by it to become the persons we were created to be, so that together we can present a clearer image of the face of Christ to the world. 

It can be humbling to recognize that our gift of faith and our talents, our degrees and our successes, are not just ours to be enjoyed, but rather are given that we might share them with others for the betterment of the world. 

How are we to do this?  How are we to use our resources to make the presence of God more visible in the world?  It doesn’t take a diploma or a million dollars...it can be as simple as this excerpt from the prayer for the continuing process of the Synod on Synodality, “ We stand before you, Holy Spirit, as we gather in your name.  With you alone to guide us, make yourself at home in our hearts; teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.”

Amen.