A reflection on the readings for Sunday, February 25, 2024 — The Second Sunday of Lent
A saying gets passed around among pastors often to remind them of the purpose of their work—“feed the sheep, don’t count them.” We have to remind one another of this maxim every so often because, even for those of us who dedicate our lives to the faith, it is easy to forget what success in ministry truly looks like. The health of a parish, family, or individual life of faith cannot be quantified or calculated. There are not really any benchmarks, milestones, or accomplishments that can tell us that the mission God has entrusted to us has been accomplished. To follow God and engage in his mission means to redefine what we see as a success and avoid the temptation of counting our accomplishments and judging ourselves by earthly criteria.
The disciples began following Jesus of Nazareth for a variety of reasons. They may have believed they had found a political savior, a gifted and holy rabbi, or a miracle worker, among other things. Whatever they believed, the stunned and shocked expressions of Peter, James, and John as they stood on Mt. Tabor and witnessed their teacher transfigured before them indicate that they expected something other than what Jesus was offering them. At that moment, they may have realized that they were in the presence of the Son of God, and the journey the Apostles were undertaking was more than they had initially bargained for. We will see them learn this lesson again and again throughout our Lenten journey as they struggle to grasp the reality that Jesus’ earthly story will end in crucifixion. After descending Mt. Tabor with Jesus, their expectations for what would constitute the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission were continuously redefined.
Perhaps they should have paid closer attention to the two men who stood alongside Jesus as he appeared transfigured: Moses and Elijah. Of course, these two men represent the entire tradition of their ancestors, the Law and the Prophets, but the way in which the earthly missions of Moses and Elijah concluded could have provided even greater hints for Peter, James, and John.
Moses journeyed for forty long years through the desert, leading the people of Israel to the promised land. It was a journey filled with struggles, setbacks, and frustrations. After his long and faithful service to God and his people, one could assume that his story ends with him finally reaching his destination, the land of milk and honey. Surely, God would reward his beloved servant by allowing him to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Not so. Moses dies within view of Israel but before entering it himself.
Elijah was God’s last remaining prophet, keeping up the good fight for the true God of Israel while every earthly force was stacked against him. He fled into exile, trusted the Lord, and performed successful miracles before individuals and large crowds alike. You could be forgiven for expecting Elijah’s story to end with his people turning back to God because of his labor and Elijah enjoying a happy retirement as a reward for his labor. That’s not what happened. Elijah’s story ends mid-mission, where he is instructed to pass his mantle to another without seeing any fruits of his labors, a hated man in a faithless world.
Any earthly analysis would deem the ministries of these men a failure and the end of their stories a disappointment. The same can be said, and was said, of the conclusion of Jesus’ earthly life. Of course, none of these men failed; quite the opposite, their ministries represented unmitigated successes in God’s plan for salvation.
Living God’s mission in your life doesn’t mean achieving countable and visible victories. It simply means following him faithfully wherever it leads:
The pastor with packed pews every Sunday isn’t necessarily a success; and the minister with one student at a youth group meeting isn’t necessarily a failure. The big, happy, perfect family isn’t necessarily a success; and the parent with a wayward child isn’t necessarily a failure. The person who hasn’t missed a daily mass since 1957 isn’t necessarily a success; and the person struggling to overcome a particular sin isn’t necessarily a failure.
Moses and Elijah were successes because they encountered God in prayer and followed the path he laid out for them to the best of their ability. The ministry of Jesus was a success because he accomplished the purpose for which the Father sent him, no matter what that looked like to the rest of the world. Living a life of faith is not always a results-driven enterprise but a faithfulness enterprise. Our prayer should not be that God delivers us a particular result but that we have the grace to follow where he leads us. Our losses aren’t always evidence that we haven’t followed him, and our victories aren’t always proof that we have.
Do not ask God for results. Ask him for the grace to hear his voice in your life. Redefine how you see success in your life and simply follow where he leads, no matter the results.
Fr. Alex Roche is the pastor of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Laflin, Pennsylvania and serves as the director of vocations for the Diocese of Scranton. Ordained in 2012, he has a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Lateran University. He went to college with a girl who went to high school with the niece of the guy who played Al in Quantum Leap.
You can listen to his podcast at www.wadicherith.com.
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