The Psalm today says that “the Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God” (see Rev. 5:10). This is an easily glossed over but significant phrase.

Jesus, the Lamb, has made us a kingdom. This means that we have a king, and that we are under His authority. “Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king” (Ps 149:2). Israel was ruled by God through Moses and the prophets for a time, and then by kings who ruled in God’s stead. Now Jesus, the Lamb of God, has become the high priest of the New Jerusalem. Through His sacrifice on the Cross, He has atoned for all sins. Through His Resurrection, He has demonstrated His divinity. Through His Ascension, He has shown His authority in both His divinity and humanity, an authority which has implications on those who follow Him. Jesus is our King, and we are His kingdom.

As subjects of the King of the Universe (and we will celebrate that feast this weekend), we know that Jesus has a claim on our actions. We are to follow His precepts, the laws which He laid down in the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and His other teachings and parables. Our primary allegiance is to Him. This is especially relevant when there is a conflict between earthly authorities and our heavenly king. 

Christ has made us a specific type of kingdom, a “kingdom of priests to serve our God.” How are we priests? Although the ministerial priesthood is reserved for those men who have received holy orders, the universal priesthood is given to all people who are baptized into Christ. As laity we do not have the power to consecrate the Eucharist, celebrate matrimony, anoint the sick, regularly baptize, or hear confessions, but we are still incorporated into Christ, baptized into His death and Resurrection.

This makes us priest, prophet, and king, just as He is priest, prophet, and king. Focusing on the priesthood, as our psalm response does, we know that the essence of this role is sacrifice. A priest is one who sacrifices on behalf of the people, in expiation for their sins and his own. As a kingdom of priests, we serve our King and High Priest, and daily offer our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings for the atonement of our sins and those of the whole world, working with Christ to sanctify creation and bring it to the heavenly homeland for which it was created.

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El Salmo Responsorial traducido del inglés dice: “El Cordero nos ha hecho un reino de sacerdotes para nuestro Dios” (ver Apocalipsis 5,10). Esta es una frase que se pasa por alto fácilmente, pero que es significativa.

Jesús, el Cordero, nos ha hecho un reino. Esto significa que tenemos un rey y que estamos bajo Su autoridad. “En su creador y rey, en el Señor, alégrese Israel, su pueblo santo.” (Salmos 149,2). Israel fue gobernado por Dios a través de Moisés y los profetas durante un tiempo, y luego por reyes que gobernaron en lugar de Dios. Ahora Jesús, el Cordero de Dios, se ha convertido en el sumo sacerdote de la Nueva Jerusalén. A través de Su sacrificio en la Cruz, ha expiado todos los pecados. A través de Su Resurrección, ha demostrado Su divinidad. A través de Su Ascensión, ha mostrado Su autoridad tanto en Su divinidad como en Su humanidad, una autoridad que tiene implicaciones para quienes lo siguen. Jesús es nuestro Rey, y nosotros somos Su reino.

Como súbditos del Rey del Universo (y celebraremos esa fiesta este fin de semana), sabemos que Jesús tiene derecho a nuestras acciones. Debemos seguir sus preceptos, las leyes que estableció en las Bienaventuranzas, el Sermón del Monte y sus otras enseñanzas y parábolas. Debemos a Él nuestra lealtad principal. Esto es especialmente relevante cuando hay un conflicto entre las autoridades terrenales y nuestro rey celestial.

Cristo nos ha hecho un tipo específico de reino, un “reino de sacerdotes para servir a nuestro Dios”. ¿Cómo somos sacerdotes? Aunque el sacerdocio ministerial está reservado para aquellos hombres que han recibido las órdenes sagradas, el sacerdocio universal se da a todas las personas que son bautizadas en Cristo. Como laicos no tenemos el poder de consagrar la Eucaristía, celebrar el matrimonio, ungir a los enfermos, bautizar regularmente o escuchar confesiones, pero aún estamos incorporados a Cristo, bautizados en su muerte y resurrección.

Esto nos hace sacerdotes, profetas y reyes, así como Él es sacerdote, profeta y rey. Centrándonos en el sacerdocio, como lo hace el salmo responsorial, sabemos que la esencia de este papel es el sacrificio. Un sacerdote es aquel que se sacrifica en nombre del pueblo, en expiación por sus pecados y los suyos propios. Como reino de sacerdotes, servimos a nuestro Rey y Sumo Sacerdote, y ofrecemos diariamente nuestras oraciones, obras, alegrías y sufrimientos para la expiación de nuestros pecados y los del mundo entero, trabajando con Cristo para santificar la creación y llevarla a la patria celestial para la que fue creada.

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Sometimes, I just can’t take one more confrontation. My emotional bank gets so low, that one more unpleasant encounter is one too many. All I want to do is duck and cover. I hear that person at work who grumbles incessantly coming and I suddenly have an urgent to-do somewhere else. The caller ID says it is my sister who wants to know why I can’t make it to a family function. I’m sorry I missed your call. I left my phone in the car. It doesn’t feel like I am doing anything wrong, I am just protecting myself, right? 

Is it? Lately, I have been very convicted at Mass when we pray, forgive me “for what I have done and what I have failed to do.” I can pretty readily identify those actions I took which separated me from God, but what have I failed to do? It is in failing to act that I am like the third servant in today’s parable. The first two servants take risks with their coins. They could have lost everything, but instead they come back with more. The third servant is not so brave. He hides his coin away so that he can present it back to his master upon his return. But that is not what the master wants. And that is not what Jesus wants from us either.

Unlike the master who went off to a distant country and left his servants on their own, our Master has given us the Bread of angels to nourish us and has sent the Holy Spirit to encourage us and guide us. We are not to duck and take cover, we are to boldly take the coins (talents) we have been given and go out and use them to build the Kingdom of God here on earth. 

Maybe I am the only person who will smile and listen to that coworker who grumbles incessantly. Maybe, I am God’s answer to a prayer on their behalf. When I duck, am I failing to act in a way that would bring glory to God? Maybe my sister just needs to be heard. Am I listening to why this event is so important to her and reflecting back a little of God’s light into her life? By not answering my phone, I am failing to spread God’s love to my family. 

We are not God. We cannot give what we don’t have and there are times when we need to make sure our own soul is well rested and fed in order to reach out to others. But so often we fail to act because we are tired or drained, when God needs us to rely more fully on Him to bring Him to others. We are not called to just preserve the gifts we have been given, we are called to go out and increase them so when it is our turn to meet him face to face he will say to us, “Well done, good servant!” 

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A veces, no puedo soportar ni una confrontación más. Mi banco emocional está tan bajo que un encuentro desagradable más es demasiado. Todo lo que quiero hacer es esconderme. Oigo a esa persona en el trabajo que se queja sin parar y de repente tengo algo urgente que hacer en otro lugar. El ID me dice que mi hermana me está llamando porque quiere saber por qué no puedo ir a una reunión familiar. Lamento no haber respondido a tu llamada. Dejé mi teléfono en el carro. No siento que esté haciendo nada malo, solo me estoy protegiendo, ¿verdad?

When the disciples are tasked with feeding five thousand men across from the Sea of Galilee, they are understandably dumbfounded: How can they feed so large a crowd with no food of their own, not much money, and five barley loaves and two fish? Yet, they do not bat an eye when Jesus tells them to prepare the crowd for a meal. Instead of relying on their own intuition and arguing with Jesus about the absurdity of feeding over five thousand people with such a small amount of food, they simply do what He says, knowing that He will provide for His people.

The disciples understand our Gospel acclamation, that “one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). They have no idea how to approach the situation, but they have learned to trust in Jesus’ direction, even for matters of physical survival. His direction is better than anything they could come up with, even if it seems absurd at the time.

This outlook complements that of the psalmist, whose sole aim is to dwell in the house of the Lord rather than in other, more familiar places. And in our First Reading, we see Gamaliel saying something similar: “If [the gospel message] comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). He does not want to resist something that might come from God, even if he does not understand it.

Gamaliel, the psalmist, and the disciples see the point of remaining fixed on God, trusting in His direction even when it is difficult. They know that if God ordains something, guiding it with His hand, it cannot fail. If He gives direction, it will not be followed in vain. To dwell in His house is better than all else.

This is a profound trust that we need to adopt in our own lives. There is a subtle self-reliance that creeps in when we spend too much time seeking security by our own efforts alone. We plan far ahead, without consulting God concerning what He wants for our lives and for our loved ones. Inevitably, our best laid plans fail, and we make new ones, which fare no better. If we are not used to consulting God and trusting that He truly has things under control, we rely on worldly methods to maintain security, prestige, and wealth, so that we can have everything necessary for a good and peaceful life. Seeking easy steps to success, we look to social media and popular wisdom to solve our problems. If these solutions are divorced from spirituality, they never bring us the peace and security we seek.

Ultimately, we need to trust in what God has already told us through readings such as these. Even and especially when things look confusing and hopeless, God is in control. We must listen to Him and seek His will in these moments through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and spiritual direction, trusting in what He tells us, even if we cannot understand the reasons for it. We cannot expect to fully understand the ways of God, but that does not mean that they are inferior to the ways we can come up with on our own. Dwelling in His house is the goal, and His direction and protection are best for us in all situations.

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Cuando los discípulos tienen la tarea de alimentar a cinco mil hombres al otro lado del Mar de Galilea, se quedan estupefactos: ¿Cómo pueden alimentar a una multitud tan grande sin comida propia, sin mucho dinero, cinco panes de cebada y dos peces? Sin embargo, no se inmutan cuando Jesús les dice que preparen a la multitud para una comida. En lugar de confiar en su propia intuición y discutir con Jesús acerca de lo absurdo de alimentar a más de cinco mil personas con una cantidad tan pequeña de comida, simplemente hacen lo que les manda, sabiendo que proveerá para Su pueblo.

Los discípulos entienden nuestra aclamación evangélica, que “No sólo de pan vive el hombre, sino también de toda palabra que sale de la boca de Dios.” (Mt 4,4). No tienen idea de cómo abordar la situación, pero han aprendido a confiar en la dirección de Jesús, incluso en cuestiones de supervivencia física. Su orientación es mejor que cualquier cosa que se les haya ocurrido, incluso si parece absurdo en ese momento.

Esta perspectiva complementa la del salmista, cuyo único objetivo es morar en la casa del Señor y no en otros lugares más familiares. Y en nuestra Primera Lectura, vemos a Gamaliel diciendo algo similar: “si lo que se proponen y están haciendo es de origen humano, se acabará por sí mismo. Pero si es cosa de Dios, no podrán ustedes deshacerlo. No se expongan a luchar contra Dios” (Hechos 5:39). No quiere resistirse a algo que podría venir de Dios, aunque no lo entienda.

Gamaliel, el salmista y los discípulos ven el punto de mantenerse fijos en Dios, confiando en Su orientación incluso cuando sea difícil. Saben que si Dios ordena algo, guiándolo con Su mano, no puede fallar. Si orienta a alguien, sus indicaciones no serán seguidas en vano. Morar en Su casa es mejor que cualquier otra cosa.

Esta es una confianza profunda que necesitamos adoptar en nuestras propias vidas. Hay una autosuficiencia sutil que se cuela cuando pasamos demasiado tiempo buscando seguridad solo con nuestros propios esfuerzos. Planeamos con mucha anticipación, sin consultar a Dios sobre lo que quiere para nuestra vida y la de nuestros seres queridos. Inevitablemente, nuestros planes fallan y creamos otros nuevos, y no nos va mejor. Si no estamos acostumbrados a consultar a Dios y confiar en que realmente tiene las cosas bajo su control, nos apoyamos en métodos mundanos para mantener la seguridad, el prestigio y la riqueza, para que podamos tener todo lo necesario para una vida buena y pacífica. Buscando pasos fáciles hacia el éxito, recurrimos a las redes sociales y la sabiduría popular para resolver nuestros problemas. Si estas soluciones están separadas de la espiritualidad, nunca nos traerán la paz y la seguridad que buscamos.

En última instancia, debemos confiar en lo que Dios ya nos ha dicho a través de las escrituras, como las lecturas de hoy. Incluso y especialmente cuando las cosas parecen confusas y sin esperanza, Dios tiene todo bajo control. Debemos escucharlo y buscar su voluntad en estos momentos a través de la oración, la Escritura, los sacramentos y la dirección espiritual, confiando en lo que nos dice, aunque no podamos entender las razones. No podemos esperar comprender completamente los caminos de Dios, pero eso no significa que sean inferiores a los caminos que podemos encontrar por nuestra cuenta. Morar en Su casa es la meta, y Su orientación y su protección son lo mejor para nosotros en todas las situaciones.

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“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death.”

The Apostles were so convicted by their experience of Jesus Christ, that they continued to tell his story even when those in power wanted to put them to death. Let that sink in for a moment. They wanted them put to death. And the Apostles did not stop. 

We live in a time when we are taught not to discuss religion and politics. We have witnessed people shamed and brought down for standing up for their convictions. It is a time of “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. 

This hits home hard for me. It is hard for me to even write these words. I am ashamed to admit that there have been times in my life when I have not brought up my faith because I was afraid it would make for an uncomfortable dinner conversation. I have neglected to share the grace I have received, because I wasn’t sure how the person would react, they might think I was weird or worse. I had a job once where I was cautioned to tuck in my crucifix because I was around people who didn’t like Catholics and I complied. No one has threatened my life, but there have definitely been times when I didn’t tell the story of Jesus Christ and the wonders he has worked. For that I am ashamed. 

A personal encounter with Jesus Christ has the ability to transform us. A personal encounter with Jesus Christ is able to take us outside of ourselves and move us into meaningful encounters with others. It is our mission to go out into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ and his mercy. We are not to tell it once and then go back home, we are to tell the story over and over. More than that, we are to live the story. We are to live in such a way that mercy is our hallmark; where telling others how much they are loved is part of just who we are and how we operate. 

So I will take comfort from John’s words in the Gospel. “He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.” As I bend my will to conform more and more to God’s will, I can trust that God will not ration his gift of the Spirit so that each day I can start anew and along with the Psalmist “bless the Lord at all times.” Even when it feels uncomfortable. 

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