Proclaimed on June 19, 2005

Dr. Stuart Hutchison tells the story of a young boy who lost his right hand. As a result, the boy fell into a deep depression. He became withdrawn, not wanting to see anyone. One day his father, who was very deeply concerned, told his son that he was going to invite a minister to come and visit with him. His son was totally against this idea and let his father know in no uncertain terms.

As fathers tend to do at times, he ignored his son’s protests. After a few days he brought a minister into his son’s room and introduced them. When the boy looked up his face went from a stern glare of disapproval to one of sudden surprise and curiosity. The reason for this reaction was that the minister had no right arm. Soon they were deeply involved in a conversation. A new relationship had been established. The boy had been seduced by the minister’s love and understanding, because he knew what it was like to suffer a similar loss and survive.

This story is much like the one that is in our Gospel reading today. Jesus is sending his disciples on a mission. He gives them special instructions, while warning them that there will be suffering. Now at first glance this sounds very foolish. It is similar to Walter Mondale announcing to the American people that he will raise our taxes when he was running for the presidency in 1984. The American people did not stand for it then, so it is amazing that the disciples of Jesus would have agreed to his mission. However, like the minister with the boy who had lost his hand, Jesus had obviously seduced his disciples with his love and understanding. How? They saw that Jesus had already preceded them. He had already suffered on his own missions. However, such good had come from his efforts. They were so committed that eventually they would all suffer and die for his cause.

As suggested earlier, this type of mission is a hard sale for Americans. Like the popular song once stated, “I haven’t got time for the pain.” Therefore we have inundated ourselves with pleasure in the activities we participate in, as well as in the recreational use of drugs and alcohol. Even so, however, the mission of Jesus remains a viable option for many Americans

This is clearly demonstrated by two statues that are located across the street from one another on 5^th Avenue in New York City. One of them is situated in front of Radio City. It is a statue of Atlas. Those viewing it see a huge man with every muscle in his body straining as he literally carries the weight of the world upon his shoulders. In his face is the look of willfulness. He is an apt symbol of rugged American individualism.

Across the street at St. Patrick’s Cathedral is another statue. It is a sculpture of the Christ. In his hands he simply holds the world. His face conveys little effort. His appearance is one of complete serenity. This figure clearly communicates three things. First, it is God who saves us. Secondly, salvation occurs for the individual by living in a community that shares the grace. Third, this very community is the Body of Christ, which carries on with the mission of the Lord.

These two very different statues communicate very dissimilar messages. Both of them, however, represent facets of American life. The statue of Atlas reflects the standard of “pulling one’s self up by the boot straps.” It is a hard existence, but one we hide from through our pursuit of pleasure. However, as the popular psychiatrist M. Scott Peck stated at the very beginning of his best selling book The Road Less Traveled, to live is to suffer. The rest of his writing unpacks the different psychological ways in which we deal with this suffering. Most of these are unhealthy. In all of this he shares that there is a better way known poetically as the road less traveled. When Dr. Peck wrote this book he was not a Christian. Afterwards he discovered that the Christian faith actually demonstrates the road less traveled that he learned brings about the greatest health and success.

Another psychiatrist wrote on a similar subject, but from a different set of experiences. Victor Frankl was a Jew, as well as a victim of the holocaust. From these experiences he developed a new treatment called Logo Therapy. This approach was based on finding meaning in our lives. He discovered that those who suffered through the holocaust and lived had one very important advantage. They discovered a meaning in their suffering that went beyond them.

We Americans who attempt to avoid or deny the inevitable sufferings of life through an indulgence in pleasure are unable to find the meaning that Christ has given to us through his own sufferings. Yet there are clues all about us. One is in the popular Frank Capra movie It’s a Wonderful Life. The message in this story is simple—nothing is insignificant to God. Through the character of George observing what the world would have been like without him and his suffering, Capra reveals that everything is truly important.

The catch seems to be in how we can catch this vision. It’s like the story of another father who took his four-year-old daughter swimming. Susanna could not swim without the use of floaties. However, as she paddled around in the shallow end of the pool, she suddenly became scared. Looking up, she saw her father swimming at the other end of the pool where the water was far deeper. She then shouted to her father, “Daddy, I’m scared. I want to be where you are.” When she ignored her father’s statements about the greater depth of the water, he invited her to swim toward him. As she swam the water kept getting deeper. Yet, she remained undeterred. First three feet, than four, then five, then six, till finally she was in water over ten feet deep. Soon she reached her father, grabbed him around the neck. As she did so all her panic left.

In a world in which suffering is inevitable, Christ shows us a way filled with meaning and purpose. We don’t have to be like Atlas bearing the complete weight of the world upon our shoulders. For we have a heavenly Father, who--like the minister visiting the boy without the hand--knows what we feel for in Christ God has already been where we are. And like the father in the deep end of the pool, God is able to give us comfort and peace when it seems we are in over our heads. We are able to bear the inevitable sufferings of our lives because God fills it with meaning and purpose. In essence, he leads us down the road less traveled.