It is a tremendous honor to be appointed as an ambassador of your nation to another country. How much more should we treasure our role as ambassadors for Christ? Admittedly, when we are ambassadors for Christ we do not get the perks that go with the job for our nation, but we do get to know that we are well and truly firming up our entry into the gift of eternal life. The earthly perks and privileges may be nice, but nothing is worth more than eternal life.
St. Paul reminds the Corinthian community of their duty to be ambassadors for Christ emphasizing that God speaks through our lives to the rest of the world. We carry within our own bodies, and within the life of our Christian communities,
a tremendous truth and blessing —the death of Christ that brings us salvation through the forgiveness of our sins (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7ff). It is this truth, the Gospel of salvation, to which we are called as ambassadors. Let us seek to acquit ourselves in this role as well as we possibly can.
It is as though God is appealing through us because we can interpret this in at least two very different ways. The first is that God is speaking from within us in the spirit of Galatians 2:20 where Paul tells us that it is no longer he that lives but Christ who lives within him. The second is that it is through the general witness of our lives as both individuals and the Christian community that the Gospel goes forth into the world. Either way, it is a privilege to be involved. That there are at least two interpretations indicates the flexibility of the Gospel and the variety of ways in which we can fulfill our roles as ambassadors of Christ.
However we want to interpret it, let us be mindful of our role as ambassadors and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us along this path.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Reflection Question:
How do I understand my role as an ambassador for Christ? Is there anything more I could do to fulfill it more than I have in the past?
Jesus, help me to be faithful to my Christian calling so that my life will truly shine forth the message of the Gospel for all to see.
St. Anthony, pray for us.
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