What Is Your Mission In The Church?

Homily 02 10 2013
5th Sunday Ordintary Time C

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There once was a little Comanche girl who had a doll made by her grandmother and grandfather from the wood and grasses of the prairie. It was clothed by her mother with buckskin and beads. Her older brothers painted the face of the doll. And he father crowned the doll with two feathers from the Bluejay.

Then, droughts and famine came. Everyone in her family died. She was now called "The Girl Who Is Alone", and was taken in by others in the camp.

The Medicine Man said: "People suffer because they have forgotten to be grateful for the gifts of life. Let the people sacrifice what is most precious to them, and the rains will come."

At first everyone agreed. But then everyone thought, "Surely the Spirits do not want anything from me. They must want them from others, and others will give what is needed." And so the women did not sacrifice their beadwork, the men did not sacrifice their weapons, and the old ones did not sacrifice their blankets.

"The-Girl-Who-Is-Alone" thought, "Surely the Spirits do not mean for me to sacrifice you, my dearest doll." She thought about how everyone in her family had made part of the doll for her. Her doll was the most precious thing to her. And then she realized that she must sacrifice her doll. She took a burning stick in one hand, and the doll in her other hand, and climbed a small hill.

The Comanche girl placed the torch on the ground, and put her doll atop it. In a few minutes, only ashes were left. She sat before the dead ashes for the longest time. Then she prayed to the Spirits in all four directions, blowing the ashes North, East, South and West, with each of her prayers. Finally, she fell to the ground crying before she fell asleep.

In the morning when the people of the camp awoke, they saw the clouds had rolled in. A soft rain was falling. The drought had been broken! And all over the hillsides, there bloomed flowers as blue as the feathers of the Blue Jay. When they saw what the little girl had done, the people gave her a new name. She was now called, "Girl-Who Loves-Her-People".

The story's imagery is very distant from that of Peter, the fisherman, and the setting in Galilee. Yet, it communicates the same essential message...

We are called to leave everything behind for the sake of love. Peter leaves his boat and steps into an unknown future. The Comanche girl sacrifices what is most precious and courageously steps toward the future.

In today's Scripture from Isaiah, the purifying power of fire is vividly described. The fire consumes and cleanses us, and brings the Holy into the world:

Then one of the Seraphim flew to me holding a burning ember taken with tongs from the altar. And the ember touched my mouth. The burning ember purged my lips.

Each of us has a unique mission in the Church.

This is why God has a different call for each of us. Each of us is unique, so each of us has a mission which no one else can fulfill. Let us accomplish this mission by radiating the love, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus and by participating in the various ministries of our parish.

God has a different call for each of us.

Because each of us is unique, each of us has a mission which no one else can fulfill. God will use all of us, and particularly what is unique in us, to bring this mission to fulfillment. Our response must be like that of Isaiah: "Here I am, Lord...send me." "I'll do it. I'll play my part."

Like Isaiah, today we are in the Temple. Like Paul, many are in the fast lane, in the middle of city life, rushing here and there to make a name for themselves.

Like Peter, some of us have been in the boat a long time, and we get tired. Yet we have inherited a tradition that must be handed on. It is a tradition filled with promise and hope. Of Justice and of Peace. It is a tradition of Forgiveness, tolerance, kindness and mercy.

jjl

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