Reaching, Preaching and Teaching

Good Morning, dear reader! We have completed another joyous week of Easter! I'm going to start with John's Gospel this morning because it is one we are all familiar with...Jesus walking on water. 

So, picture this, winds are blowing, the sea is roiling. You're out in your little boat being tossed around. You look out at the ocean and all of sudden, here comes Jesus, strolling along ON TOP OF THE WATER!!! While the disciples are fearfully staring at Jesus, He basically says to them "Hey, it's me! Jesus! Nothing to be afraid of!". Yeah, ok. How many people have you seen walking on water in the middle of a roiling blow!?!? This is just another ordinary day for Jesus. Talk about your signs and wonders!! This has to be His all-time best miracle!! But, then again, this is the same Man who could raise people from the dead! Yup, Jesus is definitely amazing!!  

As we leave this absolutely incredible story, we enter into a slightly more complicated one. We see some new people here, the Hellenists. The explanation given in my bible is as follows:

The Hellenists were not necessarily migrant Jews, but were more probably Palestinian Jews who spoke only Greek.The Hebrews were Palestinian Jews who spoke Hebrew or Aramaic and who may also have spoken Greek. Both groups belong to the Jerusalem Jewish Christian community. (Hiesberger et al., 1995)

As the number of believers increased, the efficiency of the ones in charge decreased. The Apostles could only do so much. In such great numbers of people, someone always gets overlooked. This seems to be what happened with the Hellenists. It was just one more group that needed help. So Peter came up with a plan. He would come up with a group of seven men who could aid in the service of the people. This way, it would free up others to help where they were needed most. This was the beginning of appointing deacons and elders within the church body who would oversee the various missions. 

Think of how many people it takes to run a church. You have the priest, the associate priest, eucharistic ministers, altar servers, and so on. Everyone has a specific task. This is so that all the members of the church, and the community, are reached and their needs met. Without all these people the church would quickly become inundated with the needs of others and would not be able to efficiently and effectively run. If everyone gives just a little bit, a lot can be accomplished. 

The next time you are at church or a church gathering, find out ways in which you can help. It could be something as simple as passing out the church bulletin or serving at a community supper. There is always a need for a helping hand, and it is always very much appreciated. As the old saying goes, many hands make light work. Just think, donating your time ensures that you will always be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XSZEd15w9s

Reference:

Hiesberger, J., Breen, C., Lucinio, J., Marcheschi, G. and Mazza, B., 1995. The Catholic Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, p.193.