THE REDEEMING MOMENT

"Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick — no food, no sack, no money in their belts."
(Mark 6:7-13)



It seems hard to imagine Jesus speaking to US. I mean, never mind going out on an indefinite journey without food and money—I have a hard enough time getting through a single morning without a Tim Horton’s.

But I don’t think Jesus calling us all into becoming survivalist preachers, nor do I think that is the best way to minister today. I don’t know about you, but even as a Christian I get a little squeemish about the guy at the downtown bus stop who stands on a milk crate preaching to folks passing by. But hey that’s just me...

I do believe however, that we are all called to live out our vocations in ANY circumstance we might find ourselves in. It happens right here, in the midst of our lives. And it does not have to be a massive heroic feat. Even the littlest things, done in the spirit of love, can transform the world around us.

Let me give you an example that has really left an impression on me from one of my former Jesuit professors. It's a story I will never forget. My professor’s name was Gordon, and he was moving from his Jesuit community in Toronto to live for the summer at a Jesuit retreat house in Guelph. Now he needed to call the retreat center regarding travel his arrangements; he was taking the train and would have all his possessions in a trunk and needed a pickup. So he called Guelph to speak to the nun in charge about this. But when he called, a strange man answered the phone, in a low, barely audible voice.

"Hello", said the man.

"Hello," said my professor, "this is Fr Gordon calling about my travel arrangements…."

A long pause ensued.

"Hmmmgh." said the man.

Gordon paused again.

"Who is this?"

Another long pause. The voice on the other end said nothing.

"It's OK, I'll call back for Sister Kate later."

Startled, Gordon hung up the phone. He then checked the number to make sure he dialled right—and he did. But then he caught himself; and as he puts it, did a “mini-discernment". He couldn’t put his finger on it but something did not feel right about the situation.

So he called back.

And again, the barely audible, "Hello..."

This time, despite his unease, Gordon simply said with his everyday voice; "Hi this is Father Gordon, could you please let Sister Kate know Ill be arriving at 2pm tomorrow and will need a ride from the station..."

The voice again, after pausing, uttered a barely audible, "Hmmgh."

"Well thank you very much." Said Gordon cheerfully, and hung up.

Well the next day Gordon arrived on the train with his massive trunk and a bunch of duffel bags, hoping that he wouldn’t be stranded. He stood on the platform and sure enough spotted Sister Kate by her very distinct habit.

But standing out in the crowd even more distinctly was a man walking just beside her. The man wore a black nylon mask wrapped completely around his head and face, except for a slit just around the eyes.

But to understand what this all means we need to back up.

About 2yrs year earlier this man had tried to commit suicide, but failed. Instead of shooting himself through the head and dying, he ended up shooting his face off. And he survived.

He went through rounds of facial reconstruction, but there was little doctors could do. So understandably, he pulled away from life. Though he survived the suicide attempt he completely withdrew into his own world. His social worker thought the retreat centre would be a good place to begin the emotional healing—that is—if it was ever to be expected.

His withdrawal from life became so intense that even though he could speak, he chose silence. And though mobile, he chose to never leave the grounds. The months and years kept passing and there was no progress. He was frozen in a moment.

That is, until Gordon’s phone call.

You see, it was a huge breakthrough for him to even answer the phone that day for Sister Kate. And he took great pride in relaying the message about the visitor arriving the next day—so much so that he decided he would even accompany her to the station. He understood that this stranger on the other end of the phone had trusted him with this tiny but important piece of information, and he wanted to be there to see that this person was picked up.

This little incident turned out to be a huge breakthrough that would allow his healing process to unfold. He began to engage the world again.

And it all started with a simple phone call, a reflection, and a decision to trust—yes, call it an act of faith.

So the point is to not be discouraged by a calling that seems impossible to fulfill. Don’t worry if you can’t just quit your job tomorrow and open up an orphanage in Africa. God knows there’s enough healing to be done all around us; in our own communities, in our own families and in our relationships.

But that healing out there begins when we make the decision to carry the Lord’s will inside of us. When, like my professor, we can catch ourselves in the middle of the busyness all around us and say, “Hey, that doesn’t feel right. What is God asking of me in this moment? How can this exchange—in this line up at the grocery story, or my interaction with my elderly neighbour—how can this moment be offered up unto God.”

My advice? Stay prayerful and close to Jesus, and I guarantee that when the moment comes, you will know.