Discouragement and Discipleship

The Scripture readings for this particular Sunday in Ordinary Time begin with discouragement on the part of both Elijah and St. Paul.  Let us keep in mind that the overarching theme of the readings of Ordinary Time is the “cost of being a disciple” of Jesus.  Placed in that context, discouragement must be viewed as something not out of the ordinary.  Each of us can, perhaps, think of a time when we have been discouraged in our efforts, whether those efforts have to do with our family, our job, or even our vocation.  Any ordinary human life is bound to encounter moments of discouragement.

In the case of Elijah, his encounter with God on Mt. Horeb, another in the various theophanies of which we read in the Scriptures, comes after a rather exciting engagement with the prophets of Baal.  He had bested the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel in a contest that proved that his God was the most powerful than theirs by calling down fire from heaven which consumed his animal sacrifice.  Immediately after that he had predicted the end to the drought that had brought Israel to its knees.  What was his reward for these actions?  Queen Jezebel had sent her emissaries to kill Elijah and feed his flesh to the dogs.  When we encounter him in today’s reading, he is sulking in a cave on Mt. Horeb.  God comes to him as a wordless voice to reassure him that he will prevail over the forces of evil that are the source of his discouragement.

St. Paul is also discouraged as we listen to his word in the Letter to the Romans.  St. Paul had been hoping to bring his fellow Israelites to faith through his preaching.  When he did not succeed, he turned to the Gentiles.  Today we hear of his great sorrow and constant anguish of heart as he has come to realize that while the Gentiles are turning to faith in Jesus through his preaching, his own countrymen persist in their lack of faith.  He even goes so far as to claim that he would readily be condemned to a life cut off from Christ if they would come to faith.  His rhetoric in this case is nothing more than hyperbole, for we have already heard him tell us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.  There is no question, however, that he had hoped that his fate was to bring his fellow Israelites to faith.

Then we reach the story we hear in the Gospel.  Scripture scholars have opined that this story is included in the Gospel for a Church that is discouraged.  After Jesus returned to the Father, the apostles and disciples of Jesus have begun to preach the Gospel with varying degrees of success.  The forces of the Roman Empire have begun to systematically attempt to kill off the Christians.  The barque of Peter is being tossed about by the waves and buffeted by the opposing winds.  St. Matthew’s rendition of this story adds a story that does not appear in the Gospel of Mark or Luke.  In this version, Peter attempts to go to Jesus by walking on the water; however, he falters as the waves and the winds begin to pull him under.  Jesus grasps him by the hand and pulls him to safety.  “Oh you of little faith; why do you doubt?”

In the face of discouragement, when everything seems to be going in a direction other than our desired goals, the words of Jesus to Peter and the quiet whispering voice heard by Elijah come to us and challenge us to put our faith in Jesus.  Why were Elijah, St. Paul, and St. Peter unable to accomplish their goals?  Precisely because they were their own goals and not God’s goals.  They were so sure that their personal goals would be met when it was God’s goals that should have been their focus.  It makes no difference if Elijah or St. Paul or even St. Peter fail.  God can and does prevail.  We are not disciples of Jesus so that we can succeed or so that we can become famous or so that our views and ideas might be accomplished.  Human failures are simply a part of God’s success. 

Think for a moment about Jesus’ life.  It ends in what seems to be complete failure.  While the disciples and the people of Israel thought that Jesus would expel the Roman occupation and would restore the throne of David, Jesus is captured by his enemies, tried by the Jewish authorities, handed over to the Romans, and is tortured and put to death like a common criminal.  Could there have been a more discouraging end to his story?  Yet out of this seeming failure, God has saved us from our sins and through the Resurrection of Jesus taught us to place our hope in something far greater than human success. 

Being a disciple of Jesus, we are told, is to follow Jesus by picking up a cross and by walking with him to Calvary.  We are asked to lose our life in order to gain it.  We are asked to be last so that we can be first.  We are asked to serve so that we can lead.  We are called upon to suffer for the sake of justice in order to gain the kingdom of heaven.  This is all counterintuitive.  Human beings don’t ordinarily think that this is the road to success.  This is precisely why the cross of Jesus hangs in our homes – to remind us that we are not the focus of our lives.  We are called to live our lives for a higher purpose, to put aside our own human desires and to work for the coming of the Kingdom of God, to recognize that something far greater than human success is our goal.  If this sounds too difficult, then we have not thought through the call that is ours.  It is time for us to climb Mt. Horeb to listen in silence for the voice of God in our own lives.  It is time to reevaluate our vocation in the light of what may seem like failure and to turn to God and God’s will.

The Eucharist we celebrate is God’s way of reminding us that we are not about our own success.  We are fed with the sacrificial meal of Jesus’ body and blood to remind us that out of seeming failure comes eternal life.  It is food for our journey.  It is the flesh and blood of Jesus that is our encouragement in the face of human disappointment.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator