Meditation
for Thursday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
(Neh 8:1-4,
5-6, 7-12; Lk 10:1-12)
To be aware that any endeavor we engage in may not succeed
as we wanted, is one of the greatest armors against failure. Sometimes we over exaggerate
success in life, business, friendship, marriage, academics, etc, to exclude
every possibility of error or failure. The energy to overcome failure will
succeed when we are aware that failure is possible! These thoughts came to me
as I was meditating on the gospel of today, where Jesus sent out His disciples
on a mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God. It was as if the mission was
designed to fail, for He sent them out with the awareness that they may not
succeed.
Think about the possible obstacles Jesus presented to them
as they departed for the mission. How can a lamb be successful in the midst of
a wolf, which is out to hunt down the lamb? Still, He denied them financial
security so that they cannot ‘buy’ their way out! While the disciples come in
peace, Jesus made them to be aware that there may not be a ‘son of peace’ to receive them. So, their good offer might be rejected. As He was sending them out to towns
and villages, Jesus reminded them that some towns might not even open their
gates to welcome them. It is obvious that Jesus made rejection, vulnerability
and insecurity part of the mission, which means their occurrence can no more be
counted as failure, instead, they have become part of the success of the
mission!
Meditate on your own mission, and see how, in the name of
Jesus, what ought to be counted as failure, can become part of your success
story! The mission of the disciples succeeded, and it is still succeeding, even
as the dangers are increasing. Thus, in the first reading, Ezra the priest
asked the people to wipe their tears, saying, “Do not be grieved, for the joy
of the Lord is your strength.” Yes, the success of the mission is not dependent
on the wolves or hostile towns, but on the fact that, “The kingdom of God has
come near you”, and on the fact that the peace and joy of God’s kingdom is available,
and can be accessed even through the disciples. Therefore, the proclamation,
PEACE BE TO THIS HOUSE, is itself a success even when there is no ‘son of
peace’ to receive it.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.
Thursday October 4, 2023.
