Given by Br. John Paul Mary, MFVA the night of his Perpetual Profession
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.
What does it mean to be a Franciscan Missionary of the Eternal Word? I am not going to pretend that I have the definitive answer. BUT, after almost six years of preparation for this day, I have some idea. St. John gives us the blueprint. The Son of God became Man (incidentally, our Community is named after this mystery of the Faith), and our mission is to spread the knowledge and the love of the Incarnate Word through preaching using modern media.
GK. Chesterton says: “Faith is seeing with your ears.”— The message of the Gospel must first be proclaimed and heard with our ears if we are to begin to see Christ with the eyes of Faith.
The Apostles and disciples of the Lord actually heard, saw and touched the Word of Life in the Flesh, the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, almost 2000 years ago.
How are we, 2 millennia later, to come into contact with the Incarnate Son of God?
We know where two or three are gathered in His Name, He is present in their midst. So, it is obvious He is present among us at this moment.
He is present in His Mystical Body, the Church—in every baptized member—in the poor, the suffering and the abandoned— in the young and the old—
He is present when the Word of God is proclaimed, especially in the Sacred Liturgy.
But most of all, He is present in a unique way in all of the Sacraments. The Sacraments are that way in which we, 2000 years later, touch the mystery of the Word of Life, Jesus Christ.
The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist—the Most Blessed Sacrament is the way in which see, touch, taste and hear the Living God. All of these senses deceive us except one.—It looks like bread, feels like bread and tastes like bread, but the sense that does not deceive is our hearing, because we know by faith that when the words of Consecration have been uttered, “This is My Body” “This is My Blood,” bread and wine no longer remain.
Again—“Faith is seeing with your ears.”
In a catechesis to children, Pope Benedict XVI was asked this question by a child:
“In preparing me for my First Communion day, my catechist told me that Jesus is present in the Eucharist. But how? I can’t see him!”
The Pope spontaneously gave the child a profound answer.
He said: “No, we cannot see Him, but there are many things that we do not see but they exist and are essential. For example: We do not see our intelligence, and we have it. In a word: We do not see our soul, and it exists and we see its effects, because we can speak, think, and make decisions, etc. Nor do we see an electric current, for example; we see that it exists; we see this microphone, that it is working, and we see lights. Therefore, we do not see the very deepest things, those that really sustain life and the world, but we can see and feel their effects. This is also true for electricity; we do not see the electric current, but we see the light.
So it is with the Risen Lord: We do not see him with our eyes, but we see that wherever Jesus is, people change, they improve. A greater capacity for peace, for reconciliation, etc, is created. Therefore, we do not see the Lord himself, but we see the effects of the Lord: So we can understand that Jesus is present. And as I said, it is precisely the invisible things that are the most profound, that most important.”
The miracle in which we Friars have the privilege to participate, EWTN, is the testament to this.
The message of the Gospel is proclaimed via television, radio and internet to virtually the entire world. Many people have responded to the Word of Life because of one woman’s courage, determination and Faith—Mother Angelica.
When we preach and teach on TV, radio and internet, we do not actually see the transmission going up to the satellites in space or broadcasted via shortwave radio throughout the world, but somehow millions of people see and hear us throughout the world. More importantly, they respond to the Gospel invitation to follow Jesus.
Mother once told the friars, before my time, that we are missionaries in our own backyard. We do not have to go far—only a parking lot away to proclaim the Gospel to the Nations.
But, what about you? You too are missionaries in your own backyard. You too must proclaim the Eternal Word to all you meet by the witness of your lives. The world is in dire need for this witness.
What Br Pio and I did today, in reality, is a witness and a testament that the Risen Lord is indeed ALIVE and in our presence today! We have heard the invitation of Christ to come follow Him in the very same manner He Himself lived: in poverty, chastity and obedience. We have seen in our own lives and the lives of others the difference that Jesus Christ makes.
All of my brother friars, whom I love with my whole heart, are witnesses of what I quoted from St. John:
2 the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you.
