Messengers on the margins
Today’s readings present a challenge — what does it mean to testify or witness to God’s presence in the world?
We are presented with three examples of an agent or messenger, in Hebrew a shaliach. Jesus’ audiences in John’s gospel would have known someone in this role as “someone who speaks on behalf of.” Moses is the shaliach of God in handing down God’s commandments to the Israelites. He is also the shaliach of the Israelites to God in the dialogue in this passage regarding their worship of the golden calf. John is the witness or messenger of God. Jesus suggests that the scribes and Pharisees believed John for a time, but their faith in that light had been extinguished by the time Jesus speaks in this passage. Jesus interprets the law, the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), as pointing to himself. As such, the Father is Jesus’ shaliach and Jesus, himself, is the Father’s. And so: disbelief in the messenger’s capacity to speak the truth is disbelief in the one who sent the message.
There are so many parallels in this passage to our work. Those we serve are messengers on the margins of our society because of interlocking systems that drive poverty and forced migration, unemployment and housing instability. The list goes on. There is one commonality for those living these experiences. Their voice is muted and their very presence made invisible. We receive these silenced messengers at our doors each day.
We are not saviors. Instead, we are invited to partner with our clients and to listen to their message and, in some cases, witness for them. I can think of no more important time in our nation’s history to take up that work. There are powerful forces that call into question the value and need for human services that prophetically witness to our clients’ rights to dignity, safety and health.
What does it mean to witness to God’s presence in the world? It means digging in when it is hard. We continue to deliver with and for the messengers in our midst. We show up every day in the desert of Lent and the Passion of public policy and social indifference. When the messenger is rejected, our voices must rise if we truly believe in the One who sent the message. We live our core belief that Resurrection will indeed come.
John DeCostanza is honored and privileged to serve as vice president for faith and mission at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He lives in Chicago with his partner in life, Susan, and their three children.