The Summons
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Reflection on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time by Fr. Earl Valdez
One of the most memorable things when I taught philosophy at the University was our habit to recite John Donne’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” as part of our opening prayer. I actually got this habit from one of my mentors in philosophy, who has emphasized that every kind of thought can only be “thought-ful” in such a way that it would lead us toward a profound relationship with the Other through becoming responsible for them. Here is how the Anglican cleric’s meditation goes, one that I can say I could recite from memory:
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
In a sense, this sense of responsibility lies at the core of Our Lord’s call for discipleship today. Here, we see the Lord naming his apostles and calling the rest of His disciples to a way of life that is aimed at recalling the lost sheep of Israel, that is, proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Thus, it is not difficult to see the reason behind the way of life that the Lord calls them. They are not supposed to receive anything in return for what they do, and they must give everything without cost. But isn’t that too difficult in a modern world where a lot of things have a price, and that we, too, have our own needs?
Precisely this is the challenge that our Lord leaves us today. True faith accepts and responds to true discipleship. Being faithful is not merely fulfilling our religious duties such as receiving sacraments and learning about our faith. Certainly, these are important, but they are just means for us to live a life of witnessing, of living out these words by establishing relationships with each other. After all, we see that our faith is about Our Lord doing something for us and with us. He is the one who led the people of Egypt to freedom through concrete deeds, and Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled them by facing death on the Cross so for us to share new life in Him.
Thus, as disciples, we do what He does in our everyday situations: within our families, our work places, and in the everyday situations we face. It involves not just becoming a good friend, brother or sister, or fellow believer to people whom we know in Church and with whom we relate well. As disciples did, it also involves forming relationships with people unknown or unlikeable to us, and even to those who have already judged us even before truly knowing us.This requires much discernment, reflecting on how to meet people and relate to them, choosing our words and gestures that show compassion, and understanding ourselves in relation to those we consider “other” and different from us.
Being a “missionary” Church, a community of disciples, therefore happens in our everyday lives, and the Lord hopes that we hear the bell that tolls for us, that calls us to be people who do not work only for our own interests and desires, but to build our relationships with others. As Filipinos, this we have to take seriously and discern, else, without thinking about our hard work, we just end up closing our own scope of relationships, and therefore limiting ourselves from the mission we ought to do.
Thus, we reflect: where is the Lord leading us to proclaim the Good News within our own lives? How do we become witnesses of the Lord’s love and promise for us, especially to others who do not see and experience it because of their own woundedness and misfortune? Most importantly, how do we fully accept and embrace the fact that the Lord first showed us this love that sends us, one that touches as well our limitations, our woundedness, and our insufficiencies?
The bell tolls for us, but what does it call us to do?
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