Scripture:
Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24
Mark 6:7-13
Reflection:
In 2002, our archdiocese was in the throes of the clergy sex abuse scandal. In the poorest section of Louisville, where there were once 26 thriving Catholic schools, just one small Catholic school remained. The “White Flight” in the late 1950s and early 1960s saw thousands of white families, including Catholic families, abandon their neighborhoods. In turn, Black families settled the area. By the turn of this century, the solo remaining school was rightly subsidized by the entire archdiocese to serve families who could barely afford food and shelter, let alone tuition for their children’s education.
The chancery pulled the plug on the struggling school that had been a lifeline for families wanting a Catholic education for their children.
At the time I was the pro bono counselor for the school. Unhappy with the decision of the archbishop, several of us Catholics, including the pastor at the inner-city parish with the closed school, decided to intervene. We would have all the students enroll in Catholic schools in wealthier neighborhoods and make sure the children and their families had wrap-around services and transportation for the students to thrive.
The mission was clear, but the money was scarce.
In the next few years, the new organization, Community Catholic Center, struggled to hold together. Parents got frustrated by the pace of the efforts and many students dropped out. Lack of money was a constant threat. At one point, there was $75 in the checkbook and just 7 students remaining.
We refused to give up, feeling called to this task.
Mother Teresa said, “If it is God’s work, the money will be there.” She was correct. With prayers, teamwork, and persistence, Catholics with money rallied to turn things around. In time, the organization stabilized, parents trusted us once again, and word got out about our mission and successes.
Decades later this organization is flourishing. Hundreds of students have received PreK through high school Catholic education. Many have become professionals, entered trades, and are thriving in our community. This was all possible because Catholics with good incomes stepped up to support the mission of lifting up God’s poor.
Today’s Gospel is a model for this kind of mutual support and care. Jesus sends his followers out into the highways and byways to deliver the message of God’s love. They can take with them only what is needed for travel . . . staff and sandals. But they must rely on others for food, money, and additional clothing. These disciples were pilgrims and sojourners, just like us, on the most important mission in the world.
Jesus’ point is that the local faith communities where the disciples were sent would provide the means for the disciples to carry out their work. These families would freely give the food, money, homes for the disciples.
This is the vocation of hospitality, welcoming those sent by God to do God’s work. Jesus put so much emphasis on generosity and openness that he wants his followers to shake the dust from their sandals if someone refuses to be welcoming and magnanimous.
All of our efforts to make our world a place “where it is a little easier for people to be good” (the words of Dorothy Day) rely on the generosity of the broader faith community. The focus of our desire to live the Works of Mercy, whether in organizations, parishes, or individually, requires the financial and moral support of others.
Trusting God to provide for our needs as we do God’s work requires great faith. This faith promises we sleep well at night and live lives of joy.
Jim Wayne is a member of St Agnes Catholic Community in Louisville, Kentucky, a Passionist parish. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives for 28 years, is the author of the award-winning novel, The Unfinished Man, and is a clinical social worker.