| The First Gift from the Lord
October 19, 2003
Fr. George Smiga
Mark 10:35-45
What was the first gift that Jesus gave us? When he began his earthly ministry, what was the first step that Jesus took? What was the foundation that he laid upon which he intended to build everything else?
Jesus' first step was not to erect a building. The first Christian church was not built until centuries after his death. Nor was his first step to write the scriptures. The first writings of the Christian scriptures were not composed until decades after Jesus' ministry ended. Nor was his first gift, to give the Spirit. The Spirit did not descend until after the resurrection. Nor did Jesus begin by instituting the Eucharist. That sacred meal which we share was established on the night before he died.
No, Jesus' first step was to establish a community. Immediately after his baptism, he went out and called disciples who could share life with one another. Therefore, the first gift that Jesus gave to us, is the gift of one another. He did this because he knew that if his teaching was to be understood, if his miracles were to have an effect, if his mission was to impact the world, he would need a band of men and women who shared a common identity. He would need disciples who would discover in their relationships with each other his very presence in their midst.
How peculiar it is, then, that we so often forget the essential nature of community. How unfortunate it is that are many who still associate their faith with a church building, as if bricks and mortar could on their own, lead us to God. How misleading it is for us to think that studying the bible or memorizing the catechism, or devoutly receiving the Eucharist, or saying the rosary could on their own adequately form our faith. They can't. We need community! Because it is only when our lives touch, when stories are shared, when love is exchanged, that our faith can come alive and the power of Jesus' presence emerge in our lives.
In his memoir of being a prisoner during the Second World War in the infamous Japanese concentration camp on the River Kwai, a British veteran noted that as the prisoners of that camp first came together, overt displays of faith were common. Prisoners would regularly pray publicly; many would read the Bible daily. However, as time passed and as it became clear that there would be no immediate release from this camp, these displays faded in the face of discouragement and anger. But then, out of hardship and necessity, those individual prisoners began to care for one another. They began to protect those who were weak among them and some even gave their lives for one another. As those individual persons began to share common identity, not only did their faith in God return, but it deepened. They were able to see in their midst, the presence of God's love. Those prisoners began to realize that religion was not primarily an issue of belief, but one of action, where people cared for one another, even when it was not clear whether such caring would help. Out of that service to one another, faith became living and real.
This truth guides Jesus' words in today's Gospel. It is why he commands his disciples to be servants of one another. Because Jesus knows that it is only when we care for one another, when our lives touch and intersect, that the Good News of his gospel will have power. It is also why today, as we celebrate our patronal feast, that we should be thankful for our parish community, the community of St. Noel. For this is a place, an essential place, where faith can be shared and where lives can touch. As Bishop Pilla asked over and over again on Friday night when he came to bless and dedicate our buildings, “What would you do without St. Noel or a similar community in which your faith could become real?” This is a place where lives can touch and where faith can become more than just a matter of words.
I know how different my life would be without this community. My faith depends and grows because of the inter-connection with you. So many of you have opened your lives to me, have served me and have allowed me to serve you. Yet, the history of this parish cannot be explained simply by the relationship between the community and it's pastor. This community, from the start, was a community which recognized that service to one another was the foundation of faith. Our history was created because parishioners knew their own gifts and were willing to share them with one another, so that the real presence of Christ might become explicit and powerful among us. Today as we celebrate our patronal feast and mark the completion of our building project, we must recommit ourselves to that that kind of service and shared life. In the additional space that we now have, made possible by your generosity, we should strive to find new ways to serve, not only one another but the community around us. Jesus' first gift was the gift of one another, the gift of community. If our faith is to be real, that community must be one in which we live and participate.
A woman was walking down the street, saw two little boys, seven years old, sitting on the curb, crying. With concern, she stopped and asked them, “Children, what's the problem?” The one little boy said, “We have a stomach ache and it's in his stomach.” Shared pain. Shared life. Shared love. These are the essential components of living faith. These are the gifts that allow others to see the presence of Christ in our midst. These are the gifts that allow us to be the Body of Christ in our world.
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