[1]Over the
last couple of months, we have seen the commemorative ceremonies of the seventy-fifth-year
anniversary of the start of World War II.
As the war drew on allied political leaders and military commanders at
the highest strategic levels fretfully considered the question of when the war
in Europe would end, what that end would look like, and preparing a nation and
its allies for the problems they would face when peace finally did return.[2] War is always such an ugly endeavor that
lasts well after the bullets stop flying.
I know a man who is a member of
what we call today the “Greatest Generation.”
He served in World War II, was in the Normandy invasion, D Day. He would tell stories of the sufferings, the
deprivation, and the horror of the war.
But then he’d always say, “Still, I look back on those four years as the very
best years of my life. For once in my
life I really had the feeling that I was part of something bigger than
myself. I was on the move. We had a mission. Maybe it’s sad to say, but I look back upon
those years as the best of my life.”[3]
In the prophecy from Isaiah, the Lord speaks to his people who
are returning home from exile in Babylon.
Upon their return, they found their beloved Jerusalem, including the
Temple, in ruins. While they are
mourning this bleak reality, God urges them to rejoice in the midst of their
present sorrow because of what He will do for Jerusalem in the future. God offers them one of the most comforting
images: a mother nursing her child. This
image of Mother Jerusalem is full of words and phrases that emphasize God’s
generosity. It says that even in the
midst of complete destruction, God can bring forth new life in abundance. The abundance God promises is accompanied by
Mother Jerusalem’s tenderness: “you
will be carried in her arms and fondled in her lap,” an image expressing God’s constant
care and delight. It is a message of new
life that is to be shared.
Typically, when a military unit is deployed, they will send
out an advance party to prepare for the arrival of the main body of the unit. Jesus does the same with the seventy-two, his
advance party. Jesus sends his advance
party “to every town and
place he intended to visit”
telling them to cure the sick and proclaim: “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.” In other words, feed others with the joy,
promise, and comfort that God’s kingdom brings.
It isn’t something out of this world.
God’s kingdom is present in our midst. Too often we miss this reality because we think
of God’s kingdom as a future reality,[4] something achieved after death and
up there, somewhere.
One of my favorite hymns is “Here I Am Lord” by Dan Schutte. In the verses we hear all that the Lord has
done for his people and at the end of each verse the question is asked, “Whom shall I send?”
The refrain is the answer our scriptures are leading us too, a response
expected from each of us.
Here
I am Lord, is it I Lord? I have heard
you calling in the night. I will go Lord,
if you lead me. I will hold your people
in my heart.
Now, did you notice what my WWII friend said? He said the best part of his life was when he
was “part of something bigger … we had a
mission.” For me, this was his “Here I am Lord.” In the midst of the horrors of war he was given
a vision, a consciousness, to see beyond himself, to see how his seemingly small
contribution fit into the bigger picture, which influenced ‘who he was’ for the rest of his life. He was given the grace of a mission for life.
We too have a life mission!
We are the “advance party” being sent forth from this community prayer,
from this Eucharistic meal “to
every town and place [Jesus] intends to visit.” He knows it’s not an easy journey, that it’s
often a dangerous journey. He encourages
us, that in fulfilling our mission, we are not to burden ourselves with non-essentials,
to avoid the many distractions, to remain focused on proclaiming the Kingdom of
God, both in word and practice.
We
are to be a sign of the Kingdom of God present now, despite the challenges, even the
horrors; the Church, our nation, and the world are encountering. Give a smile that will cure what ails a
person; speak the truth that confronts the demons we encounter; be a physical presence
that eases loneliness; and speak of a hope that helps carry the crosses of life
to a place of peace, mercy, and new life, because the Kingdom of God is at
hand, for you.
[1] New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition ©
1986. Scriptures: Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20.
[2] World War II:
Winston Churchill’s Vision of Victory, by Christopher C. Harmon, March
2005. www.historynet.com
[3] Hungry, and You Fed Me ©
2012 Edited by Jim Knipper. “Rejoice because your name are written in heaven” by Fr. William Bausch.
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