Called to walk with Jesus not work for him

I think sometimes in our ministry we can fill a little bit like Phil in Groundhog Day. We can seem to repeat the same day over and over again and seem to make little progress. We can often work hard in our parishes to make a difference to people’s lives. We are active in our schools, we celebrate the sacraments, and we seek to live the liturgical year. But are we caught up in a time loop which seems to keep bringing us back to the same starting point. There is a sense in which our lives can become if we let it to be an endless line of activities. In our own lives as Diocesan clergy it can be easy to see how we can be tempted to become managers of God’s graces rather than participants. We can start to care more about buildings and processes rather than about people. We can know more about policies than the Gospel. We can become more concerned about numbers rather than hidden wealth. We can speak from what others have told us rather than living it for ourselves.

Yet at the heart of our lives Jesus seeks to guide us to become closer to God the Father. He seeks to consecrate us by his word that we may live no longer for ourselves but for him. It is a deeper truth that seeks us out and seeks to enliven our lives. As Pope Francis said those given leadership in the church are not called to be managers but servants that imitate a Jesus who deprived himself of everything and "saved us with his mercy." In many ways he gives us the contrast presented in every life where, on the one hand each person can struggle to think only of himself and seeks to take advantage of his situation as opposed to the considering the needs of those around him and gives of himself. Pope Francis stresses that Christ the pastor is a thoughtful guide that participates in the life of his flock, not searching for other interests, not having other ambitions than those of guiding, feeding, protecting his sheep."

In our own life and ministry we are called to search for this deeper truth which will allow us to become people of mercy not sacrifice; to become people of Easter Sunday not Good Friday, to welcome people by discovering the one who welcomes us. Our pilgrimage of faith is one which seeks the truth of the matter that our lives have eternal value and in living from that truth we discover Jesus who calls us to walk with him not work for him.