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One of the experiences I am grateful for in my priesthood, was being asked to serve on the Personnel Board for three years. The personnel board is an elected group of priests that meets monthly to advise the archbishop on clergy assignments. Each member is asked to reach out to the clergy of his ordination group and see how they are doing, what they need, and where their spiritual gifts are best used. Over and over again, I was edified, in both the group discussions and the one-on-one calls by the generosity, humility, and ability of my brother priests. A few had a gift for being difficult and requiring prayers for patience. But overall, I was amazed and filled with hope as I saw God’s grace working in my priestly co-workers.
I also noticed something less wonderful about myself. It wasn’t there all the time and it was subtle, like a little whisper that could grow into a subversive force if left unchecked. I realized how easy it was to allow first impressions, old memories, and second-hand information about specific priests influence my input. It took a lot of work to make sure I wasn’t pigeon-holing a guy I knew in seminary as if he was exactly the same person from 10 years ago. It was much easier to let a priest’s reputation, good or bad, determine a recommendation rather than getting to know that specific guy and listening to how God was working in his ministry and in his heart. People change, people grow, and everyone deserves a second look, to be evaluated on where they are right now, instead of just one impression years ago. I suppose what I learned is that I should not only avoid judging a book by it’s cover but also realize I might not even have the most current edition of the book!
This is not just relevant to priests and their assignments! We all have a tendency to be so bogged down with our own conceptions of what a good person, a true disciple, an ideal friend, loyal family member, or desirable spouse should be that we sometimes miss the Word of God working in others, imperfect though they may be. Sometimes we are challenged by others to be better and we want to erase from our minds any truth that they may have proclaimed by calling to mind their faults and less-than-shining moments. But truth is truth, whether it is proclaimed by a saint or a sinner.
In the first reading, Ezekiel is told that the people will not want to hear the Word of God which the Lord told him to proclaim. People will have misgivings about him. He was truly strange. He was unconventional. He shocked people with many of his prophetic actions. They laughed at him. He didn’t fit their image of what a prophet should be. But that did not lesson the fact that he proclaimed the Word of God. His words were true. Instead of looking at the man speaking, they should have listened to the words he spoke.
The same thing happened to Jesus in today’s Gospel. He was in Nazareth, the place where he grew up. The people who heard him preach were his neighbors. They knew him since he was small. They remember when he was a little boy learning day by day how to become a carpenter like St. Joseph. They recalled him playing with their children. They remember when he went through growth spurts. They remember when his voice changed and when he began to grow a beard. They were so bogged down in their knowledge of Jesus’ humanity, that they refused to listen to the Word of God that He proclaimed and that He was so much more than their minds could imagine. They could not fathom that God would work through Jesus or that he might be anything more than the carpenter’s son. Their lack of faith resulted in Jesus not being able to perform any mighty deeds among them.
We often make the same mistake. Some people seem too familiar to be vehicles of God’s truth. They may be our parents, teachers, friends, co-workers, or children. They might proclaim a reality that could change our lives, but we don’t want to hear it from them. “Who does he think he is? Who does she think she is?,” we complain. It is easy for us to be so mired in the humanity of the proclaimer that we refuse to listen to the proclamation which is actually a gift from God if we can get past the initial sting.
Even worse, we might be so overwhelmed with our own sinfulness that we refrain from proclaiming the Lord or standing up for the truth. So many Catholics view themselves in such a negative way that they feel unworthy to lead others in faith and morals. “Who am I to tell someone not to do this or that, when I know that I often do things far worse.” We need to realize that God has a long history of inviting imperfect people to work with him in proclaiming his Word. If he only asked the perfect to serve as followers, priests, parents, and teachers, no one would be able to spread the Good News.
Paul was told that Christ’s power is made perfect in his weakness. Paul realized it was God working through him AND his imperfections that brought so many people to the faith. Christ’s power also works through us. We really do not have the right to deny our responsibility to the Lord. We may think we are not good enough to talk about the Lord and be his messengers, but He makes us good enough through grace. We have to remember the positive effects of what we say come from the Lord, not from us.
Today’s Scriptures remind us to avoid the temptation to put others in a box; to write them off, or ignore the possibility that God may be speaking through them. The Word of God also encourages us that we can be his messengers and representatives, despite our past, present, and future struggles. We come before the Lord today and say with St. Peter, St. Paul and so many of the saints, “I am sinful, I cannot do your work” and Jesus says, “Yes you can. My power will work through you in ways greater than you can ever realize. My power is made perfect in your weakness.” With that in mind, let us move forward with compassion, openness, and courage, so Jesus can do mighty things in and through us!
