| Letters of Aquila and Priscilla |
|
Greet no one on the road (Lk 10:4) |
|
When Jesus sent the seventy (other ancient authorities read seventy-two) disciples to go on mission ahead of him, He gave them three instructions: Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road (Lk 10:3-4). First, they should go out in humility (“like lambs in the midst of wolves”); second, they should have only the barest of material possessions (“no purse, no bag, no sandals”); and third, they should go out with a sense of great urgency (“greet no one on the road”). Humility, poverty and urgency – these were the three elements underlying their mission. This year I notice that our brothers in Couples for Christ, including myself, have been playing less tennis than before. For instance, I observe that Bro Ruben, Bro Alex, Bro Reynold and a few others who used to be at the JIS tennis courts every Sunday morning have not been seen there in many occasions. They have also not been able to participate in the monthly tennis tournaments as regularly as before. I myself have so far played in only one tournament this year. Instead, our brothers have been busy serving in the Christian Life Programs and Marriage Enrichment Retreats that are held during weekends. It was while reflecting on Luke 10:3-4 when this thought suddenly crossed my mind. It dawned on me that indeed God has been active in the life of our brothers in the community, that God has touched them in ways they could never have imagined before. But because God has given them a special grace, they have been able to give priority to the community’s work of evangelization. They have been able to forego that which they like doing most during weekends. Perhaps without their realizing it, they have been able to abide with the Lord’s admonition to “greet no one on the road” by giving up a game of tennis for the more urgent task of proclaiming the good news. In Luke 10:4 the Lord commands us to “greet no one on the road.” This is a very difficult order to follow. If we merely depend on human wisdom and human effort, we will surely fail. Without God’s grace, our reaction may be to say that this is asking too much and rationalize that this command is not meant for us – that this teaching is meant for priests and members of religious orders. But as I reflect on what is happening in our community, I have come to realize that, without much effort on our part, the Lord has arranged everything so that we could live His words. We all struggle hard to live God’s words. But despite our best efforts, we often fail miserably. Then God starts working quietly and imperceptibly. Before we know it, God has opened up our hearts and molded us into the kind of servants He wants us to be. And this is what has happened to our tennis-playing brothers in the community. God has done it all for them. God has led them to be engrossed in their service. He has paved the way for them to be single-minded in their mission of evangelization. And without fully realizing it, God already has given them the grace to live according to His command, “Greet no one on the road.” We should, of course, try our best to allocate time for sports and recreation. God wants us to do this also. I believe that we can play tennis regularly, without reducing our commitment to God and the community. I am confident that we can do this with good time management and proper planning. In fact we can use the time we spend in the tennis courts with friends who are not yet members of our community to invite them to our Christian Life Program. Indeed we can find a convergence of sports and evangelization. God does not prohibit us from playing tennis or golf. What is important is the inclination of our hearts. Are we ready to “greet no one on the road” if called to do so? Do we resent not being able to play tennis or golf because of the demands of service in the community? Or do we praise and thank the Lord for allowing us to give up sports and leisure for the purpose of doing His work? The difference lies in the attitude of our hearts. If there is resentment because we miss playing tennis or golf, it is one thing; but if there is gratitude in our hearts for the grace of being able to live His word (“greet no one on the road”), then it is another. There is great urgency in the mission that we have been called to do. It was urgent two thousand years ago when the Lord spoke the very words written down by the evangelist Luke. It is even more urgent now! If we have to give up leisure time to proclaim God’s word, then so be it. For time is running out! My brothers and sisters, we should be prepared to “greet no one the road” if our service calls for it. And we should praise and thank the Lord if He allows this to happen. For it is not what we think that really matters. It is the condition of our hearts. It is not so much what we say. It is what we do.
|