Annual Theme - 2003 - Prophetic Voice

“Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink…?” “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25. 37 – 40

This passage from Matthew’s account of the Last Judgment, is not always a passage we like to hear. None of us wants to be accountable for what he or she has done, or failed to do in this life. We have been taught to fear God and to fear the consequences of our actions. Yet, in this passage the righteous do not even know that they have done good. They have done what is natural according to the Spirit that exists within them, the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit which leads us to do good out of love for God, rather than fear of God.

This passage reminds me that I am called not only to hear the Word of God and to accept it into my heart, but I am also called to act on it, to live it. Obviously, I am called to be transformed by the Word. This is what it means to be a Christian, to live as a prophet of Christ. I must do the Word I hear and proclaim.

As catechists, we have an awesome responsibility. Not only do we have to hear the Word and to accept it into our hearts, we must also proclaim it, in word and action. How do our actions in the classroom with our students and fellow catechists, reflect the spirit of Christ? How do our actions in the parish, in our families, and our communities reflect that we are in tune with the way Jesus, the incarnated God, lived?

When we search for answers to these difficult questions we need to pray, to be with our God to discover how best to act. We need to “put on the mind of Christ” so that our actions will always reflect that which is good and just, not what others may say is the right way to act.

As catechists our task is to help our students to discover the Spirit of Jesus that resides in them, and to free them to follow that spirit, and to act in ways that are in harmony with the spirit. It is our task to help them know the spirit of Jesus, and not just know about the spirit of Jesus. In this way doing what is good and just will become part of our and their daily lives. Then, our students and we may also ask, “When did I see you hungry, and thirsty?” The response will be, “Whenever you did it for the least of my brethren, you did it for me.” This is the way to transformation, to bringing the Spirit of Jesus to the world.