Just
before the risen Lord commands his disciples, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature, he
rebukes them sharply for their lack of faith and hardness of heart (16:14).
Now, the command to evangelize does not follow very logically from that rebuke,
does it? Nevertheless, the text stands, and verse 15 follows irreversibly from
verse 14. Yes, it is to these very
flawed and fearful persons that Jesus, God’s eternal Wisdom, entrusts the
salvation of the world. Jesus does not go off looking for perfect shining
saints. Why? No doubt because he knows that the conversion of deeply flawed
humanity can best be achieved through
equally flawed yet converted individuals, and the Eleven lead the way of
all the converted.
And
what is the powerful marvel that converts hearts and minds so that they come to
love and serve only the compassionate God of truth? The very first verse of St. Mark’s Gospel spells it out in seven resounding syllables. This marvel is not a
thing but a person: Jesus Christ, the Son
of God.
Let
us too, then, deeply flawed though we are, pledge our whole lives to Christ,
trusting boundlessly in his presence and help. We are what we are: such he made
us and as such does he love us. Let us never doubt God’s generosity and humor in choosing precisely us. And
once he has grasped us in his strong hands, surely he will not let us drop!
Giorgio
Vasari, Saint Mark, 1570-1571, oil on panel, 70 × 39 in.,National Gallery,
Washington, DC. Reflection by Father Simeon.
