Starfish

This weekend’s Gospel describes what you might call the “inaugural address” of Jesus as he begins his mission as Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.  It is filled with exciting phrases - as every inaugural address is.  Jesus says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”  
 
       The words of the inaugural address of Jesus are filled with hope for the poor, the helpless, and the oppressed.  However, they are words that are not meant to be carried out by just Jesus working alone.  They must be carried out by all of us working together!  As St. Paul says in this weekend’s second reading, we all form one body.  We all share the responsibility of making the mission of Jesus come true!  
 
       Thus, the mission that Jesus sets forth is a mission that can be realized only if we, his followers, make it our mission as well.  If the victims of poverty in today’s world are to hear the good news of Jesus, we must tell them about it!  If the victims of blindness, Aids, and other tragedies are to recover vision and hope, we must minister to them!  If the victims of political oppression in prisons throughout the world are to be set free, we must raise our voices in their support! If the darkness of our world is to be lit up by a “thousand points of light,” we must switch on our tiny flashlights and help make it happen! 
 
        An old man was walking along a beach after a storm.  Fifty yards ahead of him was a young woman.  She was picking up starfish that a storm had stranded on the beach, and was throwing them back into the sea.  When the old man caught up with her, he asked her what she was doing.  She replied that the starfish would die unless they were returned to the sea before the sun began beating down on them.  The old man said, “But the beach goes on for miles and miles, and there are thousands of stranded starfish.  How can your small effort make a difference?”  Picking up a starfish and holding it lovingly in her hands, she said, “It makes a big difference to this one.”  And with that, she returned it to the sea.  
 
       The spirit of that young woman is the kind of spirit that each of us should try to imitate.  When someone asks us, “How can your small effort make a difference in a world filled with millions of people crying out for help,” our answer must be the same as the young woman’s “It makes a big difference to the ones we are able to help!”