The 1962 of the Church

Appreciating the founding members of the Church

07/09/2025

Matthew 10:1-7 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"

While I was pastor of St. Raphael Church in Springdale, I met someone who was one of the original investors and partners of Sam and Bud Walton who both founded Walmart. I am not sure what my friend’s net worth was but he was probably one of the richest men in Arkansas. Surprisingly, he and his wife, both elderly, lived in a very modest home in Rogers.

Like Sam Walton, famous for driving his old pick up truck, so my friend did not display his wealth in flashy ways. On the outside, you would never guess he was on the ground floor of a business today that has an annual revenue of $680 billion and employs over 2.1 million people world-wide. Don’t you wish you had invested in Walmart back in 1962 when Sam bought his first “Walton’s Five and Dime”? If I had been there in 1962, today I would be driving around in the biggest, most obnoxious gas-guzzling SUV available.

In today’s gospel we hear about the 1962 of the Catholic Church, and the 12 guys who were there at the ground level when our Founder put the pieces together for “Jesus’ Five and Dime.” The names of those 12 lucky guys on the ground floor were: Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholemew, Thomas and Matthew, James and Thaddeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot, whose fate we know only too well.

In two respects the apostles were like my friend from Rogers, who first invested in Walmart. They had little idea of the enormous future success of this new venture, that is, they had a lot of faith in their respective founders. And second, there was at least an outward humility in both ventures. Walton’s worth is hard to exaggerate, but he drove a pick-up truck. Jesus owns all creation but he died penniless and persecuted on a cross. And Judas got 30 pieces of silver to buy a gas-guzzling SUV.

Of course, there are several fronts on which my analogy between Jesus and Sam Walton breaks down. For example, Jesus purpose was not to sell retail goods and to make millions but to save souls through self-sacrifice. Indeed, Jesus gave away all his money – and taught his disciples to do likewise – and trusted entirely on the Father’s providence for his needs.

Second, Jesus did not set up his headquarters on earth but in heaven, whereas Sam Walton set up Walmart’s corporate offices in Bentonville. By the way, the Vatican is not the headquarters of the Catholic Church. Rome is only the chief embassy, and every diocese is a consulate office where we can get our passports for heaven. Jesus did not come to create a heaven on earth; but to create “a new heavens and a new earth” (Rv 21:1).

And a third difference is captured by the proverb: “water never rises above its own source.” That is, even though the world’s largest retailer is led by men and women who are super-smart, hyper-driven, and form a formidable corporate team, they will never achieve anything greater than the sum of their talents. Because the retail giant is merely a human endeavor, it too will pass away. As Ecclesiastes prophesied: “I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after wind” (Eccl 1:14).

But there was nothing temporary or transitional about what those 12 guys got to be part of on the ground floor in the gospel today, “the 1962 of the Church.” One day the Church will eclipse the world’s largest retailer, and indeed, it will eclipse the world itself. Why? Because the Catholic Church is “the new heavens and the new earth.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!