How does Jesus teach? 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, B

From catholic.org

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/092318.cfm

In many stories, there is the guide, the teacher, the mentor.  We see this in many books and movies: Yoda in Star Wars, Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, Dumbledore in Harry Potter, Heymitch in the Hunger Games, the Wizard of Oz in the Wizard of Oz, Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid, and many other examples.  These are wise, mysterious characters who provide assistance and teaching to those who are trying to overcome their weaknesses.  Sometimes, what they say may not immediately make sense: “Patience you must have, my young padawon.  A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins.  Wax on, Wax off,” but they possess incredible wisdom.

In the Gospels, I see Jesus acting as this guide and mentor in such a beautiful way, not just for the apostles but for all of us.  Sometimes, what he says doesn’t make sense, which we see in today’s Gospel.  He’s proclaiming that the Son of Man will have to be killed and rise on the third day, but the apostles have no idea what he’s talking about.  So this question came up for me: how is it that Jesus is mentoring and teaching his disciples and us?

This question is also important for our daily lives and vocations.  As I continue to adjust to being a deacon here and a leader at the seminary, I find myself wondering, “How can I serve this parish well?  How can I guide the younger seminarians at Kenrick?  What principles should guide my own actions?”  In fact, I was wondering about all of this right before I first prayed with this Gospel passage on Wednesday morning, and Jesus responded with all that I’m going to share with you.  Jesus, the Son of God, is indeed our teacher, but he also teaches us how to teach.  So many of us are leaders for our families or in our workplace, and we are all still students, learning from Jesus how to lead our lives, so this question of how Jesus teaches us is vitally important.  I see three descriptions of how he does this in today’s Gospel: humbly, truthfully, and affectionately.

First, Jesus teaches us humbly how to live.  Notice at the beginning of the Gospel that he takes the apostles away from the crowd, that he does not want anyone else to know about where they’re going.  He’s taking this time with his apostles, not lording himself over the apostles but gently leading them, knowing that they are very slow to learn.  He rebukes the quest to be the greatest, and he emphasizes this through his teaching: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and servant of all.”  Jesus makes himself the servant of His Church, giving his whole life in last place, so that we may follow Him in love.

Second, Jesus does everything truthfully.  He’s not afraid to state the hard truth regarding his Passion and the way of the cross.  He desires to uncover the truth, asking the apostles what they were talking about along the way.  He isn’t afraid to be provocative, which is what we see in the first reading that prophesies the coming of Christ.  The book of Wisdom describes the evildoers saying, “Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.”  This has continued throughout history; that’s why there have been so many martyrs for our faith, because some in the world don’t want to be reminded about truth.  Jesus is not afraid to set his face against this and suffer the consequences, because as he tells us, the truth will set us free. 

Third, Jesus leads his apostles affectionately, and he is not afraid to show his love.  He shows his tenderness by welcoming this child into his arms, saying “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.”  He does so with completely pure motives, showing us the Father’s desire to welcome his children home.  He shows this tender love to each one of us, encouraging us to remain in this love.  The evildoers in the first reading want to have proof of the just man’s gentleness and patience, and he endures this death to demonstrate the ultimate act of charity.  Can we imagine Jesus’ joy and gentleness as he leads his disciples and us?

Humility, truthfulness, and loving affection – Jesus models this for us in today’s Gospel, and we see the saints carrying this out.  One particular saint who many of us are familiar with is St. John Paul II, who was a mentor and teacher for the world.  First, we see the pope’s humility, that even though he spoke in front of millions, he never forgot to take time with those friends he was close with.   When he was a younger priest, he began meeting with a good number of young married couples and mentored them, and he remained close friends with them for the rest of his life.  In fact, there’s even a couple of times the pope snuck out of the Vatican to secretly go skiing with them!  Second, we see how the pope was not afraid to speak the truth.  He entered communist countries and spoke about human dignity, he wrote about the truths of the faith and corrected errors, and he was not afraid to denounce evil and call for world renewal.  Third, we all saw John Paul II’s affection – his joyful smile, his open arms, welcoming so many people to the Vatican and remembering their names, and, of course, embracing children and kissing babies.  His love was a powerful example for all of us, as those who saw the pope in person or on the television witnessed a living saint.

In our own roles of mentoring and teaching, we can learn from the examples of Jesus, Saint John Paul II, and all the saints.  Just consider these three areas in your own life: humility, truthfulness, and loving affection – which one of these do you sense the Lord calling you increase in?  One particular way to grow in these virtues is through a daily examination, to take a couple of minutes each day, maybe before breakfast, during your midday break, or before going to bed, and consider: How have I been humble today, and where was I prideful instead?  How could I have told the truth with greater boldness and fearlessness?  Where could I have shown greater affection and kindness to my loved ones?  We give thanks for those times we did well, and we ask for forgiveness and strength in where we need improvement. 

So we may not be saving the universe or winning karate matches, but we all have a tremendously important role in life: to be led by Jesus and lead others to him.  Take that one virtue you desire to grow in and offer this at the altar today.  What would our families, schools, and workplaces look like if we lived this vision out?  What would our parish look like?  We ask Jesus for the wisdom and graces to live as his disciples, that our own stories may have a glorious ending.