Ministry and Possibility

By Jesse Pellow
Felician Volunteers in Mission

Over this past New Year’s, I spent some time with my niece and nephew at the Natural History museum in Washington DC. The nation’s capital is one of my favorite places to visit. I have fond memories of taking the train up from Richmond to visit my Aunt and Uncle. I would go in with my aunt when she had to work to spend the days roaming through the museums. One of the exhibits that we went through was the David Koch Hall of Human Origins. It was an interesting exhibit. Tracing our human origins and how certain human features developed over time. One of the interactive presentations was a station that had a computer where it asked visitors to answer certain questions about humanity.

One of the questions asked was, “What do you think it means to be human?” You could input your answer and save it and you could view what everyone thought the answer to be. My niece, who is in 6th grade typed, “to be human means to have many possibilities.” I always knew she was a creative and talented kid but her answer surprised me in the sense that a 12-year-old could have such a deep perspective of humanity. I’ve been reflecting on her answer recently over the last week as I’ve begun to settle into a new community and into new ministries.

As I have developed my own prayer and relationship with Christ, I have understood that it is important to keep an open heart and an open mind. This attitude of openness leads to a greater realization of all the many possibilities that I may be presented with as I seek to encounter God in my life in the people that I serve. Henri Nouwen writes, “We come to recognize our own gifts in the eyes of those who receivethem gratefully. Gratitude thus becomes the central virtue of a missionary. And what else is the Eucharistic life than a life of gratitude?” As my niece described humanity as having many possibilities, I believe that concept is central to the growth of the spirit that resides in the heart of a human being. The question then becomes, “What does it mean to live in the Spirit?” Many years ago, when Benedict of Nursia wrote his rule for people who desired to follow a life of Christ in the desert he emphasized the human act of ‘listening’. The definition of ‘listen’ is “to give one’s attention to a sound.” The old Sanskrit root srosati, means to obey. Benedict knew from experience that to cultivate a disposition for listening takes time, patience, and attentiveness to prayer. A few years ago, my father bought some apple trees. I went out to dig the holes. Pennsylvania has very rocky soil. I had to get this long, heavy rock splicer as I was digging holes to break the bigger rocks. When you plant new fruit trees you don’t get fruit right away. It takes a few years of patient care and waiting. Now these trees are starting to produce apples. But you have to keep it at.

When I first started living a Christian life, I had the expectations of instant results. You know like those packets of instant rice you buy at the store and nuke it in the microwave for a few minutes and its done. But the more I have developed a disposition to listening I have learned that this act of listening leads to a sense of stillness and just being present to one you are listening to. Ministry opens the door to many different possibilities of encountering God. In an interview with the Atlantic Pope Francis talks about his own growth with the Church and with Christ. As a young priest Jorge was thrust into a leadership role with the Jesuits at a very young age during a time of turmoil and division in Argentina. After being exiled by the Jesuits to Cordaboa Pope Francis states that it was a time of great humility for him. He heard confessions, spent a lot of time walking the streets, looking out the window and encountering God with the poor. This time of sojourn for Jorge Bergoglio was one of many possibilities.

So, as this year opens up many possibilities to encounter Christ in those that I serve I am drawn back to what Henri Nouwen encourages us to do, ‘recognize our own gifts and to be grateful for this Eucharistic life.’. Often times I find myself worrying about what I will be doing, where I will be, who are the people I will be working with, and other trivial things that just lead to anxiety and stress. I find faith that even for Pope Francis during his sojourn, that he nurtured as Father Raila puts it ‘fear of the lord or a continual mindfulness of God’s presence with an attitude of reverence’. St. Benedict instructs monks that this is the first step to cultivating the spirit of humility. For many Christians to be human means ‘to live a life of Eucharistic communion’. And as St. Francis has taught me there is no better teacher than Christ in the poor.