Thursday, III Easter
(Acts 8, John 6)
The movie “The Mission” tells the story of a settlement of Indians in upriver Paraguay. Spanish Jesuits converted the Indians to Christianity. Under their influence the Indians reached harmony of life, what we would call peace, shalom or even a golden age. Then the area is ceded to the Portuguese who come to enslave the Indians. Of course, the natives resist, and with the assistance of the Jesuits, are at least temporarily successful in turning back the invaders.
We see in the movie how the word mission has different meanings. The mission is the settlement of Indians on the outskirts of civilizations. Mission also represents the efforts of Jesuit missionaries to convert the Indians. There are several levels of meaning for mission in our lives as well.
We can call our coming together to be inspired by the Word of God and to be energized by Christ’s body and blood a mission. It is a retreat from the hustle-bustle of our everyday activities to the sanctuary of church, a mission of God in the world always compromised by sin. We should also see our time together as preparation for our going forth – still another kind of mission -- to loved ones and, indeed, the whole sin-pocked world.
In the first reading today the apostle Philip begins a mission. With the martyrdom of Stephan the whole church in Jerusalem undergoes persecution. The trials cause the apostles to take news of Jesus Christ to other places. Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch on his way. The black man may stand out in Palestinian society but he represents our society today. He is rich and successful, sincere in his desire to believe but not sure of what the Scriptures mean. So too are many among whom we live. They have some decent tendencies but have been indoctrinated in the need for success – bringing home a six-figured salary, driving a SUV. They are attracted to the idea of love, but often mistake the authentic version seeking union with the beloved for the eternal benefit of all with its cheap imitations concerning themselves with immediate self-gratification. Like Philip our mission is to open the eyes of those whom we encounter with the love of Jesus.
Jesus accompanies us as we go forth to fulfill our mission. He calls himself in the gospel reading “the bread of life.” The words are deliberate and deeply meaningful. Bread is one of the most portable foods. For this reason we pack sandwiches for lunch. Made with care, bread also gives the body many of its essential nutrients so we call it “the staff of life.” The Eucharist – the bread transformed into the body of Christ and the wine changed into his blood – then not only signifies Jesus’ presence but embodies it. Participating in the Eucharist together as we have done for the last five days, we have become the food that we have consumed. We are the body of Christ with the mission of announcing God’s love to the world. So let us go forth this evening more determined and more enabled than ever to announce God’s love to the world.
