“This Treasure in Earthen Vessels” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“This Treasure in Earthen Vessels” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Feast of Saint James, Apostle

Brothers and sisters:  We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt.  But it shall not be so among you.  Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.  Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28)

Piety

We hold a treasure, not made of gold, 

in earthen vessels, wealth untold,
One treasure only: the Lord, the Christ,
in earthen vessels.

Earthen Vessels, John Foley, S.J.

Study

Should you ever travel to Rome, you might notice a hill, Monte Testaccio, on the banks of the Tiber River.  The hill was created by human hands and consists of the fragments of more than 25 million earthen jugs thrown away after having served as the containers for olive oil imported from the south of Spain.  Only the contents were precious to the ancient Romans; they discarded the jugs without a second thought.

Any first-century disciple of Christ immediately would have understood what Paul was saying in his second letter to the Corinthians.  We hold the treasure, which is Jesus Christ, within ourselves.  We, the earthen vessels, are fragile and prone to breakage.  We are very ordinary compared to the beauty we hold within us, and that’s precisely what we have difficulty hearing.

We live in a society where being ordinary isn’t good enough.  We want to live in the biggest, nicest houses.  We want our homes’ interiors to look like something out of a magazine.  We love to own shiny, stylish automobiles.  We want our children to go to the best schools.  We strive to climb career ladders in our workplaces.  In short, we aim for what we call greatness.

But in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says:  hold it right there.  He tells St. James’ mother and all the disciples gathered around him that true greatness has nothing to do with occupying seats of honor or anything of the sort.  It’s not about having the biggest or best.  If you honestly want to be great, our Lord says, then be humble and serve others.

That’s exactly the kind of Messiah God sent us, not a great and mighty warrior come to conquer by force, but someone like you and me, beset by all the frailties human beings experience.  The only difference is that Jesus didn’t share in our sinfulness.  I looked at my infant great-nephew more than once over the last few months and imagined Jesus as a baby.  Mary didn’t have all the child-care conveniences we have today – disposable diapers, infant formula, wipes (and warmers for the wipes), or gliding musical swings.  She had to do her best to keep her baby warm, dry, clean and happy without any of that.  I look at the tens of millions of refugees throughout the world and remember how Joseph and Mary willingly became refugees in Egypt in order to keep their baby safe.  They were truly earthen vessels protecting the very special child God had entrusted to their care.  They held within their tiny family circle a treasure I doubt they could even begin to imagine, one who would bring the hope of forgiveness and salvation to the world.

We are surrounded by people who are the earthen vessels Paul writes about.  We often miss them, however, because, like James and John, we seek the great and grandiose. 

Action

My grandmother was an earthen vessel.  She was orphaned at 4 and widowed at a young age during the Depression years.  She raised my mother by herself and sent her to Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school graduation.  My grandmother went to work once my mother was old enough to stay by herself after school.  I remember she had house dresses, work dresses, and church dresses.  She wore granny shoes.  She also had the best sense of humor and always had a funny story to relate.  But the thing that stood out the most was her faith.  She was the most faith-filled, prayerful person I’ve ever known.  And she didn’t keep it to herself.  She told me the stories of Jesus and taught me to pray.  On the street, she might never have been given a second glance, but I think she must be considered great in the Kingdom of God.

Who has served as an earthen vessel in your life?  Give thanks for them in prayer.