The pastor (who was also my new boss) called me into his office one day to talk about outreach ministry at our Catholic parish. As the new pastoral minister, this was one of the areas of the parish which I would oversee. He explained to me that he wanted me to jumpstart the global outreach committee and find a mission project which would involve our parishioners traveling to another country to serve people in need. I swallowed hard and wondered if I should tell him I didn’t even have a passport but instead I got busy putting together a committee which eventually decided upon a Guatemala mission project.
During the early weeks and months of working on this mission initiative, my focus was on helping, doing, giving and fixing. I was convinced that we Americans had gifts and wealth which we were called by God to share with those who had very few resources. I thought I had the right ideas, approaches and attitudes.
The mission initiative was designed for missionaries to live for a few days with host families. During my first mission trip, my amazing host family opened their doors and showered me with gifts as they shared their food, gave me their bed, taught me to make tortillas and coffee over an open fire and welcomed me into their reality. My time with them was about laughter, tears, joy and grace. It was about babies and elders, family, faith and friendship. It was about joking, winking, praying, dancing and shouting. They claimed my heart and transformed me forever. Once my eyes and heart were open, I understood that the true way to do mission work was through solidarity and love. Their love helped me to see that mission involvement was first and foremost about “being” not just “doing.” It wasn’t until I was in relationship with the people of Guatemala that I understood that instead of being the giver, I was the receiver. It profoundly transformed me.
Luke’s gospel today relates a parable told by Jesus addressing “…those who were convinced of their own righteousness…” Jesus tells the story of two people praying in the temple. One is a tax collector and the other is a Pharisee. The Pharisee exalts himself and the tax collector humbles himself. Jesus is very clear about how he sees these two dispositions teaching that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Luke uses this parable because his invitation and challenge in today’s gospel is for us to consider our own “righteousness.” I’d like to suggest that we take Luke’s challenge by looking at the word “right” rather than “righteousness.” Most of us would probably say we aren’t righteous but are there times in our lives in which we feel that we are right? Our intentions are not usually negative or malicious yet we see ourselves in certain situations as being correct. Is it possible that occasionally our belief about our own rightness actually blocks us from God and others? In my case as a mission leader, what I thought initially was the right way to be a missionary turned out to be very one-sided and could have kept me from experiencing God’s graces.
We are halfway through Lent and it is a perfect time to discern about our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. An additional Lenten practice might be to ask this question: Are there areas of my life in which I need to be open to new insights and let go of my need to be right? Can my openness to God’s view or the wisdom of another person transform me into a world of new insights to encounter experiences of peace and love?
I now have a passport. The Guatemala mission initiative called Ixim: Spirit of Solidarity is alive and well. Countless people have been called and gifted by the experience. We have installed water systems, run medical clinics, helped the Huehuetenango, Guatemala Catholic school system and built relationships with Guatemalans who live in Omaha. As we prepare people for mission, we gently tell them that they will most likely be changed forever. When they return to tell their stories, their tears tell us that God and the people of Guatemala have touched their hearts. One mission participant while weeping through the story of his experience summarized it all: “I thought I was going there to help and instead I fell in love.” What could be more right?
Susan Naatz
I retired from Creighton University in the spring of 2024, from my position as the senior director of the department of Ignatian Formation and Ministry for Faculty and Staff.
Before Creighton, I worked and served in three Catholic parishes as an educator, director of religious formation, pastoral minister, and counselor.
As a founder of an Omaha Archdiocesan Guatemala mission group called Ixim (Ee-Sheem): Spirit of Solidarity, I continue to help organize and prepare people for mission trips to Guatemala.
My husband John is retired from Creighton Prep High School after serving there for 39 years as teacher, principal, and president. Our beautiful family includes three sons, three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren.
It has been a deeply spiritual experience to write daily reflections for Creighton’s Online Ministries. Writing about scripture has helped my own personal faith formation journey. But it is when I hear from our readers from all over the world that I receive a tremendous sense of peace and solidarity. I am grateful to all who read our reflections. I experience God through you. Bless you!
