Newsletter - September
??AND HE SENT THEM TWO BY TWO...?
After the Summer rest, we return to...normal life. Each one resumes his post, his occupation: the jigsaw pieces fall back into their place.
Our church, of course, was always open. We continued in our service and prayer. This means that there are things that cannot be interrupted, or cannot cease to function. By the same token, one cannot cease to be Christian, he cannot give up his right conduct, also when a legitimate rest, once in a while, is required.
I was thinking of the above, when I read in the gospel the line that I put as a title. Jesus wanted the apostles to go and preach the Good News. It was their first mission: a moment very important in their formation as chosen people to continue in the work of Jesus on earth. Jesus wanted them to go by twos, because, according to the biblical tradition, two persons were required to be witnesses of an event (cf. Deut 19: 15; Mt 18: 15). Not only that, but also because they had to be together to encourage, to help, to defend each other. And, after the mission, they went back to Jesus to constitute again the community that, one day, would become "Church", the assembly of all the faithful in the name of Jesus.
When Jesus, at the Last Supper, prayed for the unity of his followers he meant precisely that they had to be together; we cannot be alone, we must not be alone, we are called to be Church, assembly, to profess our faith and to proclaim the Gospel. This is not an option; it is an obligation. That is why St. Paul speaks of the "Body of Christ, which is the Church" (cf.
Eph 1: 23; 1Cor 12:12-30). As the body is composed of many [embers all united and connected together, so the followers of Christ must be united and connected together to form the Church wanted by Christ.
This idea of unity, of an assembly, which comes from Christ himself, goes against those people who want to worship and pray alone, by themselves. They do not accept to be with others: they love the silence, the quietness of the church... They accept Christ, but they do not accept his Church.
The highest moment of our prayer and of the life of the Church is when the followers of Christ get together, especially on Sunday, to celebrate the Holy Mass. In that moment we are together with Christ, who presents to his Father the offerings of the bread and wine, all our intentions, sufferings, desires. His mediation makes us worthy to receive his Body and Blood for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world. And this happens when we are together in his name.
There is no other prayer better, worthier, holier that this.
PRAYER: LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT
Prayer and conversing with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance, but prayer from the heart, not confined to fixed times or periods but continuous throughout the day and night.
Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God, not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God's love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it.
Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature.
Prayer stands before God as an honoured ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God's grace. The apostle Paul says: "We do not know how we are to pray but the Spirit himself pleads for us with inexpressible longings."
When the Lord gives this kind of prayer to a man, he gives him riches that cannot be taken away, heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. One who tastes this food is set on fire with an eternal longing for the Lord: his spirit burns as in a fire of the utmost intensity.
(St John Chrysostom, On Prayer, Hom. 6)