“To the ends of the earth”
On Tuesday evening, I had the honour (not that I had a choice) of joining girls’ night to watch the “The Devil Wears Prada 2” with my wife and daughters. Without giving too much away about the movie, there is a scene in the refectory of the Dominican Convent Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan where Miranda gives Andy a life lesson in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper.
There is a story of da Vinci asking an apprentice to finish a painting. Feeling unworthy, the apprentice hesitated. Da Vinci replied, “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”
Like that apprentice, we too may feel unworthy to go out and spread the Good News. Many of us feel inadequate, unsure, or not smart enough and as Catholics, we can sometimes be reserved or even shy about speaking openly about our faith.
Yet in today’s first reading and Gospel, Jesus gives us a clear and direct call: to go and be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth” and to “make disciples of all nations.”
Jesus gave this message as he ascended into heaven. He gave this message to his disciples who were not perfect, but ordinary people, to disciples who, like us, doubted, feared, and at times were ill-tempered or even denied him. This was a massive responsibility.
Because, like da Vinci’s apprentice, the disciples were not expected to begin from nothing. They had the privilege of spending three years with Jesus and saw first-hand how to love and what true sacrifice was all about. They took inspiration from Jesus and with the help of the Holy Spirit preached to the ends of the earth so that 2000 years later there are billions of followers/witnesses, some would say they had achieved their performance target.
So while we may ask ourselves whether we are worthy, the real question should be whether we can continue the work of spreading the Word of God through our kind words and good actions because when we do this, we inspire others to do the same.
We don’t always choose how we’re invited into specific events whether it’s sharing our faith or being “invited” to girls’ night. But if we’re willing to show up, God can work in unexpected ways, like giving you the inspiration to write this.
Clint Ramoo – Parish Finance Committee Chair