The first US President that I remember was Richard Nixon. I’m sure many of you will remember Nixon and some who don’t remember him will have heard of him because of the nature of his downfall, his resignation to avoid impeachment for of his attempted cover-up of the Watergate affair. Perhaps because he is the first President I remember, and the nature of his demise, I’ve always had something of a fascination with Nixon. Here was a tenacious, hard-working man who came back from the political wilderness to achieve the highest office. An extremely talented man but a man with many deep flaws. Nixon once said,
“The greatest honour history can bestow is that of peacemaker.”
And he earnestly sought greatness in that way. And yet, at the same time, he was jealous of the success of others, even those who helped him achieve great things. He was mistrustful of others perhaps to the point of paranoia, so much so that he wouldn’t even confide in his closest aides. He hated the press and what he called ‘the establishment’ who he truly believed were out to put their collective boots into him in an attempt to bring him down in any way they could. He longed to be loved in the way that John F Kennedy was loved and deeply resented the fact that he wasn’t. And in the end, these were the things that brought him down, his own inner demons and what they led him to do.
And yet some of Nixon’s words can, I think, be quite inspirational and perhaps none more so than those towards the end of his farewell address to his staff shortly after his resignation from the presidency. They’re quite ironic words given his own nature and the manner of his downfall, but they are nevertheless words well worth hearing and remembering. He said,
“Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”
Whatever our opinion of the man who spoke them, I think these are good words which we’d do well to remember in whatever we do, and not least as we go about the business of being disciples of Christ in the world.
I don’t think anyone can doubt that these are difficult days for the Church, for the Christian faith, and for us as Christians. A 2024 World Watch report on Christian persecution stated that in 2023, Christians in 50 countries were subjected to “the most extreme persecution” and that, worldwide, 365 million Christians are subjected to “high levels of persecution and discrimination” on account of their faith. But this report deals with severe persecution. As we know only too well, in this country, we can be subjected to all kinds of abuse and ridicule for our allegiance to Christ. At times it seems almost like open season on the Church, the Christian faith, and Christians as all are openly derided and treated with a disdain that simply would not be tolerated or, dare I say, allowed if it was directed against any other faith.
Unless we keep our faith secret, and I hope we don’t do that because one of our essential duties as Christians is to proclaim and share our faith, I’m sure we must all have had to put up with some kind of abuse on account of our faith. It might have been something as simple as people taking the mickey, but it might been something much more abusive and hurtful. And because of this it’s all to easy for us to become discouraged and not to give of our best when it comes to proclaiming our faith.
Not long after I’d been ordained I was at a clergy meeting at which the then Archbishop of York, David Hope, urged us to go into the pubs and clubs of our parishes because that’s where the people go and that’s where we’ll meet them. Well, I don’t mind going into pubs and clubs but whenever I do go into such a place wearing a dog-collar, I’m never quite sure of the reaction I’ll get. At the very least it’s usually a few strange looks, occasionally it’s a bit of mickey taking, but on occasions people, usually once they’ve been fuelled with a bit of liquid courage, can be quite aggressive and abusive, not often about me personally, but certainly about the Church and the Christian faith. I’ve been ordained over 20 years now so it doesn’t really bother me too much, it can just be a bit tiresome at times. But I have known priests who’ve stopped going into certain places in their parish because of the constant barrage of abuse and criticism they’ve received there.
These things happen, and when they do, it’s easy to be discouraged and to stop giving of our best; it’s easy to do these things because these are usually the easiest ways for us to deal with the problem. But as disciples of Christ, we are both called and sent out by Christ, so we can’t allow ourselves to be so discouraged that we give up or stop doing our best.
Jesus never promised his disciples an easy time. We know that, at times, he openly told them that they would be hated on account of their faith. And in this morning’s Gospel, as Jesus sent his disciples out ahead of him, he tells them tacitly that they will meet with both acceptance and rejection:
“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’”
We have to be clear here about the symbolism of the disciples going into the streets and shaking the dust of the town off their feet. This is not symbolic of wishing harm on those who reject the kingdom of God; that is not what the disciples are called to do. We saw that in last Sunday’s Gospel where we read of Jesus rebuking James and John for wanting to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who rejected Jesus. Jesus says that those who reject the disciple’s message will suffer a worse fate than the people of Sodom; but that is for the Lord to decide, not for us. What shaking the dust of one’s feet is symbolic of is a distancing of the disciples from those who reject the Gospel. It’s like saying,
‘Christ has sent us to proclaim the Gospel to you, but you have rejected it. So be it. But in rejecting the Gospel you have also rejected Christ, and we want no part in this, on your own heads be it. We have been given our task, and we’ll carry on with it, regardless of your hostility and rejection of Christ, the kingdom of God and the Gospel.’
So we can see here a lesson about not being discouraged by hostility and rejection but continuing to give of our best in spite of these things. But we must also see a warning not to repay those who hate us in kind.
It’s not easy to proclaim the Gospel in the face of hostility and rejection but it is what we’re called to do as disciples of Christ. But if we can stick to our task without becoming so discouraged that we give up, or stop doing our best, Jesus promises us a great reward, and tells us to
“…rejoice that (our) names are written in heaven.”
We read the same thing in that most beloved of Jesus’ teaching, the Beatitudes:
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Whatever hostility or rejection we face on account of our faith, we need to remember who it is who called us and sent us out into the world to proclaim the Gospel. We need to remember that his love for us is greater than any hatred the world might have for us. So, as we go about the business of being Christ’s disciples in the world, let’s never be discouraged by the opposition we face but always give of our best. And let’s never be so petty as to repay the world’s hostility and rejection by hating those who hate us because if we do that, we risk destroying ourselves by losing the heavenly reward Christ promises us.
Amen.
Propers for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 6th July 2025
Entrance Antiphon
Your merciful love, O God,
we have received in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name,
reaches the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with saving justice.
The Collect
O God, who in the abasement of your Son have raised up a fallen world,
fill your faithful with holy joy,
for on those you have rescued from slavery to sin,
you bestow eternal gladness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Readings
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Prayer after Communion
Grant, we pray, O Lord,
that, having been replenished by such great gifts,
we may gain the prize of salvation,
and never cease to praise you.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Parish Church of St Mark Chadderton 