Getting to diversity

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today offers some texts which point to how our mission to announce the Presence of God among us may be facilitated by working within the culture which is familiar to us. The Book of Genesis describes an encounter between Joseph, son of Israel (Jacob) and his brothers who had sold him into Egypt years earlier. They did not recognize their brother who had risen to a place of power among the rulers of Egypt. Friar JudeWinkler notes that Joseph and the Pharaohs of Egypt, at this time, were both of the Semitic race. Joseph’s plan to send grain to Canaan for the family of his brothers was acceptable because of this racial closeness. The Gospel from Matthew tells of the selection of the twelve Apostles from those who were following Jesus. Twelve is the number of the tribes of Israel. The instructions given the Apostles for their mission are to go first to the people of their own Jewish religion and culture to announce the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven. The expression which we might use, the Kingdom of God, is not written in Jewish practice. Terms for God are treated with the greatest reverence. Today, the Christian and Catholic cultures are perhaps better known among the population than the actual practice of faith in Jesus. Working within the expectations and language of culture to evangelize nominal Christians may be a wise starting point. The ancient mission from the time of Abraham is to bring the Kingdom to all peoples and this will necessitate the broadening of the cultural, ethnic, and racial makeup of the people of faith. The more diversity we welcome in our daily practice of living with Jesus, the more cultural and ethnic paths open to us to present the Good News in familiar terms to all.