Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 459

Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."

The Evangelists often connect sayings and teachings by way of particular words, rather than by logical ideas. Luke 10, 16 -- the last three lines of today's gospel -- seems attached loosely to Jesus' warnings against Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. However it echoes several critically important verses about Jesus, our relationship to Jesus and his relationship to God: Matthew 10:40; John 5:23; John 13:20; and John 15:23.
The Lord describes a new, unprecedented and almost unimaginable relationship to the Creator and God of the Universe. We are not simply disciples of Jesus, we are apostles.
A graphic scene of a violent movie comes to mind. I think it was The Gladiator. The Roman centurion sends a messenger to the Germanic enemy, hidden in the forest before him. They send the messenger back, beheaded. Predictably, the Roman doesn't take the rebuff very well and mayhem ensues.
The apostle, like the Roman messenger, represents the person of God. Mistreat the representative, mistreat God. Welcome the messenger, welcome God.

Too often Christians regard God as the opponent and judge. They suppose we must prove our worth before God. We "must earn brownie points with God," as one friend of mine never tires of saying. 

That attitude not only misrepresents the friendship Jesus offers us; it cancels the responsibility we have been given. With that interpretation, the Christian has only to prove her worth, to justify her standing with God, and she supposes she has finished her chores, like the child who has cleaned her room then goes out to play. She has completed her end of the bargain; now let God do his!

"Where did that come from?" someone might ask. Even God might wonder, "How could they so misrepresent Jesus; and misunderstand Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist? The sacraments of Reconciliation, Marriage, Priesthood and Healing? 

As Pope Benedict XVI explained, Ite missa est meant "You are sent!" not "You are dismissed!" 

"In antiquity, missa simply meant 'dismissal'. In Christian usage, however, it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word 'dismissal' has come to imply a 'mission'. These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church."

Our union with Jesus, he tells us, is just as intimate and intense as His union with the Father. In fact, it is the same relationship. Baptized and Eucharisted, we share His life; we live in His body. Sent into the world we represent and actually present God to everyone we meet. My smile at a passing stranger is God's kindness. My wave to someone who lets me cut in on the highway is God's gratitude. My simplest courtesies to others are God's bowing down before the beauty of His image. The truths I speak are assurances that the universe is founded upon the Truth who is God. 
But the Christian's sins are as catastrophic as her blessings are beneficial. If I tell a lie the universe is thrown into disorder. If I renege on my promise I have betrayed the Lord with a kiss. 
The Christian, as Jesus tells us, has no need to swear an oath. Our word is an oath; it is God's word. 
With all that said, we should contemplate the freedom and joy of our Savior. As the Son of God, he delights in his responsibilities. We may do the same, confident of God's merciful patience with us. The Lord has given us all the brownie points we'll ever need; it falls to us to distribute them to others.