During their Totuus Tuus program, a group of young facilitators of the summer catechesis taught the children a game called: “How to spot a disciple.” A child dresses up and played Peter nailed upside down the cross. Another dresses like Paul with the sword of the man who beheaded him lying on his neck. Yet, another little girl plays Maria Goretti with the stab wounds of her executioner. Discipleship comes with scars. Disciples are not pageants who fear scars on their body. The very thing that worldly models dread most, namely—scars are, according to Paul, what makes a model disciple. Stoning, beating, interrogations before worldly powers are, for Paul, marks of Christ on his body. Like a wounded veteran, old-time railroad worker with missing fingers, a disciple is known by her scars.
Last Sunday, we reflected on the two great apostles, Peter and Paul; today’s reflection centers on the universal call to discipleship. When Jesus sent out the twelve, He limited their mission “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Today, He declares that the harvest is too great for only twelve people. Hence, He calls many more. Jewish tradition and understanding had it that there were twelve tribes of Israel and 70 nations on earth. How they arrived at the number 70, I cannot tell you; only that Jesus uses it to symbolize the universal call to discipleship, which every believer answers in baptism. If the call of the 12 represents invitation to the ordained ministry of the Church, the call of 70 or 72 disciples represents lay discipleship. And if anyone had any doubt about whether the lay faithful are called to be disciples, today’s Gospel resolves that.
The question shouldn’t be whether lay people are part of the evangelizing mission of the Church but to what degree. Currently, many have chosen to ignore the call and become merely “cultural Catholics.” Is there any doubt in our minds that cultural Catholicism is dead? Jesus announced: “Go on your way: see, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” We must take the Gospel to the world: the workplace, the marketplace, and the Public Square. Intentional Catholics must put on the mantle of discipleship or risk being swallowed up by the wolves prowling around today’s world (both the real and online world) and devouring souls. Disciples must pray and work: praying as if everything depended on God, and working as if everything depended on them.
The commitment to prayer and action means that we must pray for those on the frontline: the pope, bishops, priests and deacons who daily battle the enemy. The intentional Catholic has the duty to pray someone into the priesthood or religious life and commit to the good news by word, life and action—acting as a leaven, and changing the world from the inside with Christ-like attitudes. As a Catholic, people should see you as someone they can’t talk into taking bribes, doing drugs, missing Mass because a friend visited or because you’re on vacation. They should see you and immediately know that you cannot give-in to immoral behavior, lie, cheat or use God’s name in vain; and as a Catholic child, can’t disobey your parents and teachers.
Lay action also means support for the laborers in the field with your material resources, and doing so cheerfully—since laborers in the vineyard carry no purse, backpacks or sandals. Did you hear the story of the $20 and $1 bill? They finally met each other at the US Treasury where they were about to be destroyed after their long life, having got rumpled and murky. The $20 was the first to speak. “I don’t mind. I've had a good run, been to many excellent restaurants, casinos, cruise ships and malls.” Then the $20 bill asks the $1, “How about you, buddy?” Downcast, the $1 bill responded, “Lousy, awful! I’ve spent most of my life at the bottom of the collection baskets in Catholic Churches.” Generosity is integral to discipleship.
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo