by Father Alonzo Q. Cox
JUST A FEW years ago, when I was in my first parish assignment, I celebrated the funeral Mass for one of our most active parishioners, Alban Brown. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Holy Name Society, usher and to top it off, a retired NYPD officer. He was a man filled with the spirit of the Lord. You could always call upon him, day or night to help with events or activities happening in the parish.
I remember vividly the first time we met. I was a newly ordained priest and it happened to be my first Sunday Mass at my new parish. I was a bit nervous and quite lost about the customs of the parish and what the usual protocol was for that particular Mass.
Alban had that gift of reading people’s faces and reactions so he immediately came up to me and said, “Don’t worry Father, we know you are a rookie and we got your back.” The spirit of the Lord was truly at work within him, in all that he said, and in all of his actions.
At his funeral Mass, his daughter, who also happens to be an NYPD officer, said something about her father that I will never forget. In her remarks she said, “Dad never lived in the spirit of anything but Jesus. Even when he was on the job, Dad lived his life in the spirit of the Lord. He can now rest from all of his labors.”
I think of him as we reflect on our Scripture passages this weekend. St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans tells us that we live in the spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead. “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).
Alban’s Example
All of us are called to live our daily lives in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter what our profession or vocation might be, we are meant to live in the spirit of Christ.
What does it mean to live in the spirit of Christ? I look to the example of Officer Alban Brown, who through all the many facets of his life, always lived in the spirit of love, mercy and charity. The spirit of the Lord should drive us to imitate Christ in all that we say and do. The spirit of the Lord should encourage us to be gentle, compassionate and loving, not just with those whom we choose, but with all of our brothers and sisters. To live in the spirit of the Lord means to surrender ourselves completely and totally to Christ, trusting in His divine providence.
Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” These months of summer of course are meant to be a time of rest, rejuvenation and relaxation, but Jesus wants us to continue to live in the spirit of His love and mercy. Although we may take a break from our usual routine and schedules during the summer months, we must never break from living our lives in the spirit of our Savior Jesus Christ.
As we strive to be faithful and holy witnesses of Christ, let us pray that the Lord will give us the strength and the courage to keep our eyes fixated on Him and nothing else. Let us continue to praise the name of the Lord forever in all of our words and actions.
Readings for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Zechariah 9: 9-10
Psalm 145: 1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Romans 8: 9, 11-13
Matthew 11: 25-30
Father Cox is the pastor of St. Martin de Porres parish, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and the diocesan coordinator of ministry to African-American immigrants.