ANTS
About a month ago I joined high school students from St. Victoria on their mission trip to Greensboro, North Carolina. On a mission trip you go out and serve during the day and at night you gather to fellowship with the other groups attending the camp. By the way, thanks to your donations to mission possible. They made it possible for these kids to go on the mission trip. The crew I was assigned to had us working on a farm. One day my assignment was to clean out an old shed. I didn’t realize it but when I came out of the shed covered with ants. Within seconds there was a swarm of people frantically brushing the ants off my clothes. The next day I was told. “Father, maybe it’d be better if you were to stay outside so that you don’t accidently get into something you don’t want to get into.” What a great experience for me watching the kids roll up their sleeves serving people who were different than we are and having fun at it. The church is in good hands with people like that. I like what one St. Victoria student said about his experience there. “This year’s mission trip helped me discover the joy of giving back. More than that I think the experience transformed us, shaping us into more compassionate human beings.” Being shaped into a more compassionate human beings is that not what our faith is all about? If we’re to be evangelizers on fire for Jesus, we start by being the compassion of Jesus. What does that look like in action? In Mathew 15, the Gospel passage for today Jesus and his disciple are on a kind of mission trip of their own. They are in a district where they encounter some of Israel’s most despised enemies. The Cannaite woman is one of them. She begs Jesus to cure her daughter who’s tormented by a demon. Surprisingly Jesus says nothing. But in response to the disciples who are trying to shoo her away he says, “I’ve come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Let’s just say in that moment it seems Jess is erroring on the side of compliance to a religious protocol that says you don’t associate with those who are not f or own. But the woman persists, “Lord even dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.” Jesus softens. Woman, great is your faith.” In that moment her daughter is healed. Back to the mission trip in July. When I came out of the shed with ants crawling all over me , those who saw it didn’t run from me. They rallied to help me. As disciples of Jesus, we’re called to do the same. We don’t run from those in need just because they’re different than us. Compassion moves us to rally around those who are “covered with ants”, that is, those in need, whether they’re one of our kind or not. Like our high schoolers did on their mission trip every week we have the opportunity to head out on a mission trip of our own. And who knows. You may even run into someone who is covered with ants -someone different than you who has a real need. If we’re to be the compassion of Jesus, the hands and face of Jesus, we rally to help them. That’s evangelism, being the compassion of Jesus. When I come to see those different than me this way there’ll be a change. And the one who’s changed is me.
