By Orlando Hernandez

This Wednesday’s Gospel (Mt 10: 1-7) tells of Jesus’ commissioning of the twelve Apostles. In the previous chapter (Mt 9: 35-38) the Lord was “moved with pity” at seeing so many needy people, too many for Him to physically get to. So He empowers “these Twelve “ to spread out and perform miraculous deeds in His name. Each specific Apostle is mentioned, implying (to me) that God knows each one of His followers by name, probably every human being on Earth.

Then Jesus goes on to say, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”(Mt 10: 5-7)

The mission of the Twelve is more than just medical. They are to proclaim the Good News. Jesus also tells them to go specifically to the People of God, rather than the Gentiles. Are the Gentiles unworthy? Jesus gives much evidence to the contrary in the Gospels. But there were so many rules against contact with the Gentiles that perhaps it was better not to begin with them. The people of Israel were “lost” enough to start with, and at least they shared a common culture and spiritual background with the neophyte Apostles. It’s a good start. What about us, modern-day disciples of Christ?

Every time I pray, in some way or another I feel the summons of the Lord, to go out and do some good, to relieve the suffering of others. I also feel the urge to go out and share the joy of Jesus’ presence in my heart. The Kingdom of heaven is establishing itself day by day in my life, sometimes very slowly and painfully, sometimes in the most wonderful ways. I want to tell the world, but most people do not seem to want to listen.

I am so grateful for those special days when I smile at every stranger because I feel so full of the Spirit, without fear, and people actually smile back. Have I helped establish His Kingdom by this simple act? When I show sincere concern for those who are lonely, or afraid, or hurting, but who really do not want to hear anything about God, have I actually preached the Gospel in the manner of St. Francis? I have good friends that I care for, but they are Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, New Age searchers, or adamant atheists. With them, I guess, my best start is to act with respect and love, even acceptance, not disapproval or superiority. However, if I get the chance, I will not hesitate to tell them about how happy I am with my faith, and most importantly, SHOW IT.

With the “lost sheep” of Christianity it is a little different. With my Protestant friends, I always rejoice in out common love of Jesus, and do not get into arguments about who’s the “better Christian”. With disenchanted Catholics, I just do a lot of listening, and remind them that God loves us always, and He is ready to take us back. I tell them my own story, the lost years, my conversion, my joy and struggle with my faith, and how I could never live without the Eucharist. The important thing is to be sincere and respectful, because we love them with the love that Jesus has given us.

Then there is my family. My wife and I are constantly sharing our confusions and inspirations when we share our faith. The same happens with my son and daughter-in-law, who were so instrumental in our conversions. And with my grandchildren, I look for every opportunity to remind them that there is a God who loves them much, much more than even I do. Sometimes their eyes glaze over and they want to change the subject. Other times they seem interested and want to know more. I must admit that I should try and pray more with them.

And finally, there are the good people I interact with in the different faith communities that I belong to: my parish, the Passionist family, the prayer groups, the Knights of Columbus. Even if we don’t realize it we’re constantly proclaiming the Kingdom of heaven to each other by our words and deeds. It is such a blessing.

I often think that I am wasting my time writing for this blog, that I’m preaching to the converted, that everything I write has already been said in a much better way by so many other people. But here I am, still trying, in case someone’s heart might possibly be touched by God’s hand when they read something in here. I also do it because Fr. Victor has asked me to, and I love him so very much. And then today’s Gospel encourages  me to go on, my Beloved Lord does: no matter how clumsily “ make this proclamation : ‘ the Kingdom of heaven is at hand ‘. “

Have a blessed week, dear sisters and brothers in Christ.

Orlando Hernandez