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Moving Back into the 'Ordinary Time' of Discipleship
Moving Back into the 'Ordinary Time' of Discipleship
Todd Graff, Director of Lay Formation & RCIA, tgraff@dowr.org
-Pope Benedict XVI
Greetings of Peace, Friends in Christ!
As I write this in mid-June, we have just finished celebrating the great 50 days of the Easter Season – culminating in Pentecost Sunday – and the beautiful and profound feasts of the Most Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is such a rich time in our liturgical year!
As we move through Ordinary Time during these summer months, I want to hold onto and savor a bit of the spiritual riches offered to us from the past few weeks of our liturgical life so as to guide us in our “ordinary” and day-to-day lives of discipleship.
To do this, I will share some content from the May and June issues of the faith resource Impact, created by my colleague and friend, Leisa Anslinger, and produced by Catholic Life and Faith. I am most grateful for her permission to reprint from this excellent resource!
In the latter weeks of the Easter Season, our gospel readings for daily Mass are taken from the “Last Supper Discourse” in the Gospel of John. Jesus is speaking with his disciples in a very intimate way as he prepares them for what will take place in the coming events of his death, resurrection, and ascension. He urges them to “remain in [him],” as branches on a vine. By remaining in him, they will “bear much fruit and become [his] disciples” [see John 15:1-8].
“Remain, Be Rooted, and Bear Fruit” From the May Issue of Impact
We might say it is in our common human tendency to run away. As toddlers, many of us packed a few of our most precious belongings and left home in search of freedom or simply because we had to see what was beyond the doors of the familiar and loved. Our tendency to run doesn’t stop as we mature. We fight the temptation to run away – from difficulties, commitment, even from God – throughout our lives.
Jesus knows how often we resolve to follow him only to backtrack when the going gets tough. He understands how easy it is for us to turn away from God’s divine plan and will. We may for a time feel we are heading somewhere. Yet Jesus knows that we will only find fulfillment and peace when we are close to him. The Lord knows that ultimately our running gets us nowhere because we are running from who we are called to be and what we are called to do.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.’ (John 15:1-8) Running away is not true to our deepest nature as people who are created in God’s image, after God’s very likeness. In our most perfect self, we are so close to God there is no distance between us. When we are faithful to our baptism, we are united to Jesus and to one another. As disciples, we find the strength we need in the power of the Holy Spirit to remain rather than run.
Remaining with Jesus roots us in God’s love. Like branches on a thriving vine, we gain sustenance and life in the Lord who remains in us, as we remain in him. It is difficult for us to grasp the immensity of God’s love and the abundance of God’s grace that is offered to us through Jesus Christ. Yet, this abundant life is freely given us. We have only to accept it and to live it.
Rooted in God’s love, we will bear good fruit. St. John Neumann captured our call to bear the fruit of God’s love profoundly: "God sees every one of us; He creates every soul … for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has worked, we too have but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”
The primary way that Christ remains with us, and we are united with him, is through the celebration of the Eucharist. We celebrate the Eucharist in every season of the church year, and in a special way on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (“Corpus Christi”). In the celebration of the Eucharist, we ‘become what we receive – the Body of Christ’ (Saint Augustine). We are united to Christ in this most personal and intimate of ways. And, through our Holy Communion with him, he invites us to be his “Body,” his presence, to the world.
“Without Measure” From the June Issue of Impact
What is the greatest gift we can give another person? When we really reflect on this question, our deepest response will most certainly be ‘presence’. To give another the gift of our attention, care and love is a present that is never outdated and is everlasting. We may be more aware of this now than ever before. If there is one lesson we may carry from the pandemic it is that we need others. There is something significant missing in our lives when we are unable to be present or to know another’s presence.
Our presence is a share of our self, as Christ’s love is a share of the immense love of God. We who have been baptized into Christ offer that love to others through our presence as stewards of all we are and have and will be. Through participation in the Eucharist, we are given all we need in Christ’s gift of presence with and for us. Our pandemic time has given us a new appreciation of this as well, as most of us have longed for the Eucharist and the presence of one another at Mass for many months. The presence of Christ in the Eucharist is an immeasurable treasure.
Pope Francis, June 22, 2014
Our prayers, our gifts of time, talent and our material resources are signs of our awareness that we are blessed beyond measure. Recognizing that we are ‘fearfully, wonderfully made’, the gift of self, our presence, is a true sign and blessing that cannot be diminished over time.
“When Tiny Becomes Mighty” From the June Issue of Impact
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed - the smallest of all the seeds on the earth, which springs up and becomes a large plant. If God’s kingdom is the reign of love, then even our smallest actions on behalf of love can grow beyond our imagining. Think of all the opportunities we have to show and to share love every day. Times when we put impatience aside, linger with someone who is struggling, give our time in service.
These small acts expand our hearts and make Christ’s presence known. Tiny seeds of mercy, compassion, and caring grow into mighty expressions of the incredible love of God. Doing this is simple but it is not always easy. It requires us to make the perspective of the Lord our own, to have as our greatest desire that all will know and share love.
What tiny seed of love will you plant today? How does the Eucharist shape and nourish you to be a sower of the seeds of Christ’s presence? What might be the mighty impact of your sharing in the lives of others and for the life of the world?
Deo gratias!
Impact is a monthly resource for parishes which seeks “to form people as disciples and good stewards who share their gifts and faith, making an impact in their lives and the life of the world. Each month, Impact focuses on themes found in the Sunday readings, connecting Mass with the call to discipleship, growing as good stewards, and sharing faith in daily life.” For more information and to see a sample issue, go to: www.catholiclifeandfaith.net/discover-impact.
Pope Francis
