They Followed Me

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time &
Memorial of Sixtus II, Pope
Readings for Monday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time
Biographical Information about Sixtus II

Reflection:

The scripture and the life of St. Sixtus II are making me fell somewhat like a piece of hot metal under the hammer of a smithy. Today we hear once more about the feeding of the multitudes by Jesus as he prefigures the Eucharistic feast he left for us. It is stated at the beginning of this Gospel that Jesus had just heard about the death of John the Baptist, the details of which we just heard last Saturday (Saturday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time). It is understandable that he wanted to be alone, he was distressed, after all, John the Baptist was his cousin (Lk 1 36), and the one who was preparing the way for him.

I will come back to Jesus’ situation below, but I wanted to mention St. Sixtus. Not just because he was a Deacon (which he was) and Pope (Bishop of Rome) but because he was martyred. Pope Sixtus II was targeted by the Emperor Valerian in 258 when he ordered the summary execution of all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.

Before he lost his head (does John the Baptist ring any bells) he did establish a point of unity for the Church and a great sense of salvation for the ordained. His order regarding heretical baptisms which in essence said it is not just the words uttered in the performance of the sacrament, but the operation of the Holy Spirit and the intent of the act that makes a sacrament valid. The old “ex opere operatus” gives grace to we who administer the sacraments. If we make a mistake during a rite, we are safe in knowing that it is the Lord who administers the grace of the sacrament, not us. I know that this discussion is a bit technical for a simple reflection but it dose take my mind off all the bad news (e.g. John being beheaded, Sixtus II beheaded, Jesus is depressed)

Back to Jesus, who instead of getting some rest and time to process his grief over the death of John, finds that half of Galilee has somehow tracked him down. (I flippantly wonder if he thought; “I should have sailed out further so they couldn’t see me and follow.”) Scripture says; “…his heart was moved with pity for them”. The lesson here is quite clear, especially when we couple it with the story of St. Sixtus, the Lord’s work needs to be done in the Lord’s time, not ours. When we start felling like; “I need a break” or “Not today Lord, let me just rest for a while” we need to be aware that God will not always answer those prayers.

Rather than the Eucharist, which is always the awe inspiring gift before us at the altar, our prayer today is that we might have the strength to offer our service to the Lord, especially when we feel tired or overburdened. We offer this prayer knowing that when He calls upon us, the Holy Spirit stands ready to lift us up if we fall and to give us words when we are in need.

Pax