How do you
manifest Christ to the world?
When Jesus
ascended, the disciples weren’t exactly ready for it: Lord,
are you at this time going to restore the kingdom of Israel, they ask him
in the Acts of the Apostles, just moments before he is lifted up and taken up into
heaven. The image of ascension to
heaven has been prefigured in Psalm 47: God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy,
the psalmist sings, calling upon all nations to shout with cries of
gladness. But the disciples? They are just confused, staring open-mouthed,
looking at the sky…
Both Acts and Mark’s
Gospel before it make it clear: Jesus
rose so that the disciples could at
last understand their mission: Go into the whole world and proclaim the
gospel to every creature. The
disciples are to be Jesus’ ongoing physical presence in the world, sharing his
salvation, his good news or gospel,
with everyone. They are to act in his
name, Jesus tells them, because everything done in his name manifests his love, that is, makes his love visible to
the world. They are capable, Jesus is
telling them, of extraordinary acts of love through which they will reveal
Christ for who he is: God’s love
incarnate.
It’s not an easy
job, to be sure. Paul tells the Ephesian
community that they must bear with one
another through love, that they might build
up the body of Christ. How? With
all humility and gentleness, with patience… Paul prays that the depth of their awareness
of that love might be given through the Spirit:
may the eyes of your hearts be
enlightened, he says. If the Ephesian community can come to appreciate all
that God has done in Christ, and come to share in all Christ has left them
through the Spirit, they will know the
hope that belongs to his call, manifesting Jesus’ presence in the world,
and building that hope for others. To be
the Church we are called to be requires nothing less.
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordle.net
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