First Mission Field

Laboring in the vineyard of our own family

02/01/2021

Mark 5:1-20 Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine.  Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

Do you know what parish I was first assigned to as a priest? Or, what my first mission field was? That first parish was not Christ the King which is where Bishop McDonald sent me immediately after ordination. Rather, it was my own family which is where Jesus sent me after he first called me to be a priest back in high school. In other words, my first parish assignment was given to me many years before I was ordained a priest, and that first mission field was my own family. My mom and dad, my brother and sister were my first parishioners – poor people!

I will never forget the evening at dinner when I shared my desire to be a priest. I remember where everyone was sitting at the table, and each person’s reaction. To put it mildly, they were not overjoyed at the news; indeed, they were surprised and even a little stunned. Why? Well, at that time we were practicing Catholics, but we did the minimum. We went to Sunday Mass but that was it. We did not go to regular confession, we were not involved in parish groups, we did not invite the priest for supper, and we did not even greet him after Mass. We did what all good Catholics should do: pray, pay and obey.

But after I shared my calling to be a priest, things started to change at home. My family’s faith life kicked into high gear. Today, my parents attend daily Mass and pray the rosary every evening; my sister teaches RCIA in her parish in Orlando, my sister-in-law leads her parish youth group in Springdale, my brother teaches the Confirmation class and he’s on the board of the new Catholic high school, and so forth. The first parish to receive the blessing of my priestly vocation, therefore, was my own family.

In the gospel today, Jesus heals a man possessed by a demon. But do you recall where Jesus sends him to share the news about his miraculous healing? The man was ready to leave everything and become one of Jesus’ followers, but Jesus “told him instead, ‘Go home to your family and announce to them all the Lord in his pity has done for you’.” In other words, Jesus sent him into the mission field of his own family to share how Jesus had touched and transformed his life. Notice, too, that rather than run home, the man went to the Decapolis (which means “ten cities”) to proclaim the good news of his miracle there. It always feels easier to talk to strangers about our faith than to our own family. But our first mission field is always our own home.

My friends, do you realize we are all called to be priests? You received a priestly anointing at your baptism similar to (but not the same as) the one I received when I was ordained. Sacred Chrism was poured on the top of your head at baptism, like Sacred Chrism was smeared on my hands at ordination. Both anointings conferred an indelible mark, making us “a kingdom of priests” or “a royal priesthood” as it says in 1 Pet. 2:9. And your first mission field after your baptism is your own home.

Sometimes it is easier to share the good news with strangers than with those living under the same roof. Many years ago I was counseling a man who was on the verge of getting a divorce. I was trying to help him save his marriage. One day he said to me: “But if I get a divorce, I would have more free time to volunteer in church.” Maybe he thought he would gain my sympathy because I would gain a volunteer in church. But the man had forgotten his first mission field was his own family, and his marriage. The job of spouses is to get each other to heaven, a very priestly purpose. More than the church needs lectors and Eucharistic ministers and ushers, we need Catholics who live their faith in their own homes. But it always feels sexier to share the faith with strangers.

Let me read the entire verse from 1 Pet. 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” That profound passage is a perfect summary of our entire Christian vocation. We are all called to be priests, and our first parish assignment is our own family.

Praised be Jesus Christ!