Tuesday 6th Week of Easter
Legatus Mass, BNS
May 12, 2026
Introduction
Often when we gather, I remind you that the word “legatus” means a legate, or an ambassador, and that we are ambassadors of Christ. This evening, I would like to explore further what that means and why it is so challenging. And let me begin with a page out of history.
The year is 1940. Nazi Germany is on the offensive. France is tottering. The Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, seem unstoppable, The American Ambassador to the Court of St. James was Joseph P. Kennedy, the patriarch of the family that gave us a president and two senators. Kennedy was photogenic and charming, and together with his family, took British society by storm. Not surprisingly he was the darling of the press.
Asked if he thought Great Britain would withstand the Nazi onslaught, he answered in the negative and went on to suggest that it would be in Britain’s best interest to negotiate a peace deal with Germany.
Trouble was, that wasn’t Great Britain’s policy, not even under Neville Chamberlain, nor most assuredly was it the policy of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. It didn’t take long for Ambassador Kennedy to realize that he would soon be recalled, so he resigned.
The Upshot
I tear this leaf out of history neither to indulge my own interests nor still less to amuse you, but rather to shed light on who you are as the Lord’s Ambassadors. What Ambassador Kennedy forget or ignored was his obligation, not to share his views and opinions, but rather to advance the policy of the government he represented. Similarly but even more so, Jesus Christ was the Ambassador, the Legate, sent by the Father to reveal and unleash his merciful love in the world. And the Father and the Son would sent yet another legate, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of all the Lord taught, as he pours the love of God into our hearts.
In Scripture we read that no disciple is greater than his Master. Jesus, our Lord and Master, once said,
“My teaching is not my own but it is his who sent me.” So too, the Lord makes clear that he came to do the works of the Father. Finally, he said to his Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if it is your will, let this chalice pass me by. Not my will but your will be done!” Thus, as disciples, as ambassadors, as legates, we are reminded that we are not free agents and opinion makers – but rather followers of Christ, members of his Body, the Church, called faithfully to bear witness to him and all he did to save us, and to all that he teaches us in and through the Church.
Not Easy
This is not easy in the age we live in. If Ambassador Kennedy was besieged by the London Times and the New York Times – we are besieged by a dizzying array of voices on the internet and social media. There are reputable voices amid the din and indeed there are many worthy religious voices. But I think you’ll agree that much of social media is geared to make us emotionally charged, the angrier the better.
If we would be good ambassadors of Christ, his legates, then we must resist the urge to be opinionators.
When provoked and prodded by lunacy, let us slow down, step back, pray, and discern: What, if anything, does the Lord want me to say or do in this situation? How can I represent the Lord who walked the earth, who encountered and engaged those who were not aligned with him, those who were as yet far from the Kingdom of God? Think of Zacchaeus. The Samaritan woman at the well. The woman caught in adultery. Jesus did not condemn but transformed their lives. If we would be his legates,
we too must look for those moments of transforming grace where we can say something or do something
that will open the eyes of another to the One we represent.
Don’t Go It Alone
The reason we are part of the Church and part of an organization like Legatus is that we recognize that none of us can represent Jesus and the Church without the help, the guidance, the support, and the prayers of others. Legatus helps you be those good legates who leaves behind your opinions and concentrates rather on helping others to encounter Christ and to be won over by Christ’s love, rooted and grounded in his truth conveyed through Scripture and Tradition.
Thank you for your service to the Gospel by being legates in your families, your places of work, and among your friends. May the Lord never withdraw your credentials, but may you one day hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” to the glory of God, the everlasting Father!