“What now?” How many “What now” moments have you experienced in life, milestone birthdays, merited graduations, new ministerial positions, leadership elections, and the moments after the death of a loved one? I am certain that many of you have experienced a number of these, as well as many others. I can only imagine the perplexed expressions after encountering any of these “what now” moments, as well as the “what’s next” circumstances of uncertainty, difficulty, in addition to the unidentified and undiscovered sense of awe and wonderment.
Imagine, if you would, the complexities of the Disciples, who had been elevated to Apostles, no longer followers but leaders with new directives and apostolates. “What now?”
Knowing His disciples, Jesus is moved to pray for His new leaders and their faithfulness, wholeness, and goodness, for they now need to put their faith into action while living in a world corrupt by the craftiness of Satan. Jesus also prays that in their leadership they continue to fulfill the glory of God that Christ had initiated. Jesus, no longer in their world, explains that the disciples have become what God had envisioned;
Apostles, who are separated from the profane and who in fact, are held in God’s highest perfection of purity, consecrated to God’s love and service. Jesus persists in prayer asking that God continue to prepare the Apostles within the boundaries of Christ’s teachings as they bring faith and Christ’s revelation to all, to live as Christ, counter-culturally separated from the unholy and the darkness of sin.
Vowed to Christ’s Apostolic Mission, you might inquire, “What now?” Like the Apostles, we too must journey with all that Christ has taught. We must take what we have learned; what lives within and what has become a part of us. We must travel confidently, obediently, with vigilance, and humility. We must be witnesses to Christ’s Light and Love for the glorification of God, be the voice of the Incarnate Word, and with our faith and by our love, be witnesses that give strength to the Church that unfortunately has been infiltrated with varied evils from today’s challenging society. The Apostolic Mission continues. “What’s next?”
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