Wednesday 3rd Week of Easter
Legatus Mass and Dinner
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
May 7, 2025
Ambassadorships
Ambassadors are sometimes thought of as mere political appointees, sent to posh assignments as a reward for campaign contributions and the like. Driving down embassy row in Washington might lead us further to believe that embassies are always housed in opulent buildings where there are glittering dinner parties and other social events. But the glamour and mystique of diplomatic service isn’t the whole story. Ambassadors are missioned far from home, often in hostile countries. Their mission can be delicate, difficult, even dangerous. Embassies sometimes come under attack. They can become places of refuge in time of war. More than a few in the diplomatic service have lost their lives.
We are “ambassadors for Christ”, as St. Paul teaches. As followers of Christ, members of the Church, & members of Legatus, we represent, not a country, but rather the Kingdom of God in our midst. We are loyal citizens of the United States, and in our daily labors, we strive to build a society that respects human life and upholds the common good. Yet, somehow, we are not quite at home. For our true citizenship is in heaven where the Risen Christ is seated at God’s right hand. During our earthly sojourn, we are on mission; we are legates.
Acts of the Apostles
The mission entrusted to us was never easy, right from the start. We see this as we read from the Acts of the Apostles. Tonight we heard how a severe persecution broke out in Jerusalem and how the disciples were scattered to Judea and Samaria. Stephen, one of the first deacons, was stoned to death for his witness to Christ. Meanwhile, Saul was persecuting the Church of God, even to the point of dragging Christians out of their homes and sending them off to prison.
How did the disciples react to this? They doubled down. Thus we find Philip, another of the original deacons, proclaiming the Gospel in Samaria where his efforts met with great success. His preaching was accompanied by signs and wonders that prompted many to listen, to repent, and to believe. These were intrepid disciples, courageous witnesses, true ambassadors.
Food for the Mission
What gave them the strength for their demanding mission? What gave them the courage and boldness needed to proclaim the Gospel? The answer is found in today’s Gospel where Jesus, yet again, proclaims himself to be “the bread of life.” Those who believe in Jesus and receive him will neither hunger nor thirst, for the Lord himself will live in them, imparting to them the strength of his victory over sin and death.
That is why those first disciples did not give in to fear or discouragement, but instead used every setback as an opportunity to fulfill Jesus’ mandate to teach all nations. The Eucharistic Lord nurtured their personal spiritual lives and drew them into closer and deeper contact with himself; but the same Lord was also the impetus for their missionary zeal. In a word, they “unlocked” the power of Baptism and the Eucharist, and in the strength that comes from God they proclaimed the Faith, whether it was welcome or unwelcome, convenient or inconvenient.
What This Means for Us
We are indeed on mission. We are legates, ambassadors. I don’t think any of us harbor illusions about the challenges of bearing witness to the Faith in this day and age. We have all experienced resistance to the Church’s mission – sometimes arising from a secular culture, at other times arising from within the Church – something the Apostles themselves had to contend with.
Facing setbacks and challenges, we may be anxious or discouraged. We may think the obstacles to our mission are insurmountable. But God’s Word has a different message for us, and it’s this. Like those first disciples we too must “unlock” the power of the Sacraments— the power of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. The Sacraments are indeed powerful in themselves but unless we allow them to work their effects in our souls, that power lies dormant and unused for mission. When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life”, let us hear him say, “I am the bread of your life, I am sustenance for the mission I have given you!” Let us hear him say to us, in the words of St. Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). As the Lord’s legates, as his ambassadors, that is all the instruction we really need.