The Gift Of An Agenda

Message from Fr. Jose Koluthara, CMI

Lord Jesus, strengthen us to come down from the mountaintop to be your witnesses throughout the world.

 

Do you remember Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I’ve been to the Mountaintop” speech delivered at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tenn., on April 3, 1968, the day before he was assassinated? King’s speech resonated with a hope and conviction that a new day was about to dawn, and with it new assurances of civil rights for African Americans. Five years earlier in another of his memorable and moving speeches, King had described what he had envisioned on the mountain top. “I have a dream”, shared King, “that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…” (August 28, 1963).

King’s dream and his mountaintop vision would have remained just that except for the fact that he came down from the mountain and marched the streets of Selma, Atlanta, Washington, etc. in order that his visions and dreams be realized. Today’s feast of Jesus’ ascension challenges believers to do likewise. Although the disciples of Jesus may have been tempted to remain in the relative safety of the mountain in order to preserve the experience of the nearness of Jesus, that was not to be. As Jesus instructed, they were to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria and even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:1-11, 1st reading). With Jesus’ own authority, they were to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing and teaching them, all the while assured of the presence of Jesus (Mt 28:16-20, Gospel)… all the while compelled by the hope and inspired by God’s wisdom and insight (Ephesians, 1:17-23, 2nd reading).

Nowhere did Jesus say that his disciples should stand off at a safe distance and critique the world. On the contrary, following his lead, Jesus’ followers were directed to immerse themselves in the world, making its burdens their own, its suffering theirs to alleviate. Today, Jesus’ disciples are to do likewise.

Mountaintop experiences are necessary, of course. Mountaintops are places where visions are born and fed. Mountaintops, both real and virtual, are places where discussions take place, where committees are formed, where agendas are made. But the best-laid plans are of no avail unless believers are willing to go down from the mountain and realize their visions and dreams by translating words into works, decisions into deeds, and proposed goals into achievements.