BREAKING THE BARRIERS

SABBATH

 

When I met the new recruits for the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, I was not surprised to find that they came from different sectors of the community. The invitation that was sent out was for able-bodied Catholic men aged 39 years and above to consider serving God in His church as Eucharistic ministers or what we used to call lay ministers. So all kinds of men came: a doctor, two lawyers, a former public official, three tricycle drivers, a family driver, and ordinary men with bluecollar jobs. It was amazing to see these people with different backgrounds exhibiting so much ease in dealing with one another and with nothing but willingness to serve Christ and His Church. That was one miracle brought about by Jesus Christ. Today’s Gospel speaks of a woman with a dark background — someone who was healed of evil spirits and diseases. Who would have thought that she would be found in the company of a lady of the court? Mary of Magdala and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, were from different ends of the social spectrum, yet they were there, with Christ, serving Him and attending to His needs out of their own resources. “It is one of the supreme achievements of Jesus that He can enable the most diverse people to live together without in the least losing their own personalities or qualities” (W. Barclay). This is really a great miracle that all Christians should recognize. This in itself is a feat that we all should be pleased about. But in the EMHC experience I mentioned above, there was a plus. During the comissioning of the recruits, it was heartwarming to see the driver dispensing communion to the wholefamily he was working for. It was as if the driver would bring his “bosses” to their earthly destination during weekdays and then bring them closer to their heavenly destination, their real Boss, on Sundays. The barriers that we put between us and others have already been broken down by Christ. How come some of us still try to reconstruct them? God has made us one, and one we should always be. Fr. Sandy V. Enhaynes   Reflection Question: How ready are you to rub elbows with those not from your own class?   Lord Jesus, take away from my heart any trace of discrimination. Help me to truly embrace everyone as my brother/sister in You. Amen.   St. Eugenia, pray for us.