These are words that we hear and use in the Church that sometimes need to be defined and looked at again maybe to see if they still have that original meaning and understanding.
I think of here the word minister. We call the clergy – ministers, but we also use it for the laity and their particular role and involvement in the church. At the beginning of Mass, we mention who will be the ministers of the Word and who are the ministers of the Eucharist. They are given the title because of the ministry they are carrying out within the liturgy.
St Paul in 2 Cor Ch 3 speaks of being a minister of the New Covenant. He is making the connection between those who enjoy the New Covenant and therefore enjoying ‘the ministry of the Spirit.” This then calls us to reflect again on the meaning of the word – ministers/ministry. What Paul is saying is, that it is not about us and our abilities, though God needs us to use our abilities in the process. Ministry is primarily an activity of the Holy Spirit through us. We are the mediators of a blessing that does not originate in us.
It is very sobering to reflect on this fact because it means that human ability in itself will never bring any success in Christian ministry. This makes us reflect on the wonderful privilege that is ours to be involved in ministry. Sometimes people can see it as something they have to do; it becomes a chore. A commitment to a roster. It may even create renewed enthusiasm as to how parishioners will carry out those ministries and may even encourage more involvement into other ministries.
If we can just reflect and be conscious that we are giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to engage and come to others by our willingness to participate.
When a parishioner is asked to be a special minister of the Eucharist, initially, we sometimes receive the answer – “I am not worth’. (No one is worthy) But maybe if they took the time to think and pray that it is not about them, it is about the willingness to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit.
As I said at the beginning, sometimes we lose the full impact and meaning of words by their continual use in our churches.
If we could keep reflecting on the understanding that it is all about the Spirit working in us and not about ourselves, how different would be the involvement of people in our parishes and the way parishioners go about carrying out these ministries.
St Paul continually keeps talking about the mystery of the indwelling Spirit. A mystery because it has been hidden for a long time but is now disclosed in the saints – the disciples. Paul talks about us being jars of clay that contain the Spirit of God. And we have the responsibility to allow God, in the Spirit, to be set free. Jesus wants to reach out to others, but he can only do this through us.
Jesus wants the aroma of His presence to leak out of us. To this end, He might even make some cracks in the vase. Just as Mary broke that jar of perfume at Jesus’ feet (John 12:3) so too, it is often through the cracks of our brokenness that the aroma of God’s presence reaches others. Paul goes on to speak of his hardships in ministry. Paul’s willingness to suffer such things for the sake of his ministry was a powerful testimony to the people he went to. It was through these cracks that the aroma of Christ emanated so powerfully. Hardships do not threaten the ministry of the Holy Spirit through us. They may even intensify it.
Fr Michael Morley
Parish Priest
11 January 2019
