Parish Missions

THE POWER OF ONE TIMES TWO

In the office of the pastor who was my seminary

internship advisor there hung a poster of a shabbily

clad urban youngster pulling a weathered-beaten

wagon through a rubbish strewn city lot. The caption

underneath the picture read, “God made me and

God don't make junk!"

As the Scriptures continue to lead us to reflect on the requirements of discipleship, we are led to the realization that the greatest obstacle to being effective disciples is a low opinion of ourselves. Absent a strong assurance of self-worth, from whence comes the strength, the energy, the courage to embrace our mission in the world? Self-confidence is an essential element of discipleship.

Saint Paul makes exactly that point. He challenges us to acknowledge that we are chosen because God sees value in us--that we are inherently good. St. Paul gives magnificent testimony to our worth:

In love he destined us for adoption to himself

through Jesus Christ,

in accord with the favor of his will,

for the praise of the glory of his grace

that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption by his blood,

the forgiveness of transgressions,

in accord with the riches of his grace

that he lavished upon us.

We are called to have faith in ourselves. If pride is the greatest sin then running a close second is the attitude that we have no self-worth. For if we have an empty view of ourselves we will be incapable of having the courage of an Amos, who recognizes his shortcomings, but has accepted Yahweh’s call because he has acknowledged his own worth, which has nothing to do with any personal skill or talent.

It may very well be that God chooses those with a certain lack of talent for ministry. Throughout salvation history it is the least likely that are chosen to do amazing things. God sees value in the little ones, the last in line. That pattern should reassure us that God’s love is unconditional and universal, that, in fact, “God don’t make junk.” God has infinite confidence in us. That’s why we have been chosen.

But that choice, though a great blessing, does not flow from anything we have done. It is a gift. So when Jesus sends the Twelve two be two, it is in recognition that the task is beyond individual effort; that mutual dependence, perhaps even collegiality, is what the proclamation of the Reign of God requires. Self-sufficiency is as dangerous a posture for a disciple as low self-esteem.

Further, Jesus insists that there be no special distinction, no particular consideration for those who would further the Reign of God. The Apostles were told in no uncertain terms that they should not rely on their own means, but rather their reliance is to be on the One whose message they proclaim:

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey

but a walking stick—

no food, no sack, no money in their belts.

They were, however, to wear sandals

but not a second tunic.

Thus the Good News can be proclaimed, and its proclamation is as much by actions as by word. Healing is the message infleshed. There is an intimate connection between the proclamation of the Word and its effect so that the Word of God becomes the vehicle of the New Creation. When the Word is embraced, made part of our very being, it comes alive in us so that we are empowered to bring the healing Jesus assigns to those who proclaim the Good News:

So they went off and preached repentance.

The Twelve drove out many demons,

and they anointed with oil many who were sick

and cured them.

So it is in the Eucharist: we become what we receive without consideration of our limitations because we are God’s chosen ones. That communion in Word and Sacrament empowers us to go forth from a place of worship into the world to live out the Gospel mandate two by two.

During World War II, it is reported, a battered

contingent of defeated allied prisoners of war was being

paraded through a German town. The streets were

lined with onlookers, some with triumph on the faces,

others with compassion. The prisoners were starving

and utterly exhausted, their eyes cast down in despair.

A silence fell. Then a woman broke through, an ordinary

German housewife, and thrust a loaf of bread into one

prisoner’s hands before fleeing back to her kitchen.

She took the risk of compassionate action. She stepped

ut of line. But she also started a movement. Gradually

others overcame their fears and brought out food for the

captives. One woman’s action caused thousands to be fed.*

That’s the power of one. Imagine the power of two.

*Margaret Silf, “The Power of One,” America, July 6-13, 2009, p. 11.