Prince of Peace and Public Relations

Sharing context and human experiences allows the Holy Spirit to carry our message, rather than ourselves.

By Mark McDermott

---

Messaging is half the battle of any cause – political, philosophical, or spiritual. It is undeniable that Jesus’s message carried something transcendent: it has endured for thousands of years and touched every portion of the globe. But Jesus’s exhortation to “not worry beforehand about what you are to say” (Mark 13:11) may raise the question of how we allow the Holy Spirit to speak through us in our efforts for advocacy and awareness. To consider this question in our work, CRS San Pedro is participating in the book launch for People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal. The author, Marshall Ganz, helped architect President Obama’s successful 2008 presidential campaign and is hosting a book launch at Dolores Mission in Los Angeles on October 6th (information and link below).

            In this week’s Gospel, Jesus provides insight into this question. At first glance, it seems perplexing that Jesus strives to keep this stretch of teaching secret: “he did not wish anyone to know about it” (Mark 9:30). But the confusion of the Twelve at Jesus’s teachings shows why. Jesus repeats a prediction of his Passion, which the disciples still do not understand; they question each other about their human greatness, rather than the spiritual realities Jesus is seeking to reveal to them.

            It seems extraordinary that the Twelve, who had the singular experience of being called upon by the very Person of Christ made flesh, would not understand that the Christ must suffer and die in this world. But today we are fortunate to know the entire story of Jesus's life when we hear these words – the story compiled for us by the Apostles. Perhaps this is why Jesus strove to keep the deepest teachings to just a few at this stage: he needed to make sure at least those Twelve heard the entire story, from start to finish. With the whole opus of the Gospels in their minds and hearts, the Apostles could connect Jesus’s works and teachings to each other and to the prophesies delivered throughout salvation history. Consider how this week’s first reading evokes Jesus’s trial before the Sanhedrin: “Let us beset the just one, because he…reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training” (Wisdom 2:17).

            Without the right context, the Resurrection might not make sense because every person interprets events differently based on their experiences. Otherwise, as the Gospel shows, some in the community believe that Jesus is “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets” (Mark 8:28). Knowing this, Jesus plucked the Twelve from their lives years before his crucifixion to guide their outlook towards the Pascal Mystery. Like the child Jesus uses as an allegory, inexperience, lack of context, may be the greatest obstacles to receiving a message properly.

            In our ministry and advocacy, we can strive to have the humility of Christ in addressing our audience: they may not have the passion that we do for a cause because they have different backgrounds and experiences. Perhaps allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us involves relinquishing judgement for why others have certain beliefs. We do not judge children for not knowing the nuances of politics or economics, but instead strive to educate them with the full context of a position. Likewise, we must try to make sure that our audience hears the full message. Most of all, this helps us remember that our message serves the greater glory of God, and not ourselves as individuals. As much as possible, we can share the human experiences of those we serve. This allows our faith to be shown through our works, pointing our message away from “what we want” to convey to the love of God we strive to live out.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024 Join CRS San Pedro to learn and share ideas about how to best spread our message to the community!

Register for Free!