
Pastoral Message – June 2, 2024
The gospel reading for this Sunday sent me down a rabbit hole.
It started when Jesus, in response to a question about where he and the apostles would have their Passover celebration, told a couple of disciples to go into town and follow a man who was carrying a water jar. Who was that man? Did he even know who Jesus was? Certainly he had no idea of the awesome things that would take place during the Last Supper. But he is the one who led the disciples to the house where the Last Supper would take place. We have no information about what he did afterwards.
This man is one of a number of anonymous persons in the gospels who have “cameo roles.” They appear for a verse or two of the gospels; we have no idea who they are or what they did before or after the brief moment that they are mentioned. And yet they had a part in God’s plan for Jesus’ ministry, and they are mentioned in the Word of God. I like to meditate on these anonymous figures; I like to ponder where they may have come from, and what they may have done later in their lives.
So the rabbit hole I fell into was scanning through the four gospels, and making a list of other anonymous figures who have such brief “cameo roles.” In case you’re interested, here are some of the citations that mention these anonymous persons: Mark 12:42; Mark 14:13-14; Mark 14:51-52; Luke 7:12-13; Luke 11:27; John 2:5-9; and John 6:9. Have fun looking them up; imagine what they looked like; ponder what effect their involvement with Jesus may have had on them.
Why do I like meditating on these persons? In a certain way, I relate to them. I have no illusions about my name being remembered for posterity. I imagine that I will be just another anonymous person in the history of the world. But I do have a part in God’s plan, just as those figures in the gospels have. And my part in God’s plan might make more of a difference than I imagine.
This is where I think of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord. What do we do? We offer to the Lord simple unleavened bread and grape wine. And what does the Lord do with those simple offerings? He transforms them into his real, living Presence. They become the Eucharist: the Source and Summit of the Christian life.
I guess this means that I should never underestimate the importance of what I do. Even the simplest thought, word or action can have effects far beyond what I would imagine. God has a plan. I am part of it. And so are you. Let’s do our best to discern and accomplish God’s will, so that our role, even if it is anonymous, may be recorded in the Book of Life.
Blessings,
Fr. Philip