ProLIS Day 6. What Makes a True Ambassador of God

Throughout the ProLIS youth formation camp, Bishop Bryan Bayda, Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Youth of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy each day. These liturgies became a unique spiritual experience for the participants, while the bishop's homilies invited young people to reflect more deeply on faith, freedom, vocation, and living the Gospel in everyday life.

We are pleased to share Bishop Bryan Bayda's homilies that accompanied our young people throughout the camp.

 ― Who's Your Favorite.

I'm going to ask you to start with, “who's your favorite ambassador or diplomat of all the time?” Because when you start doing that, you're going to have to start doing the check boxes. Well, this person is this or this or this, or what outstanding characteristics or gifts or talents did they have? Was it an elected official? Was it a church personality, a hierarch, was it a friend of yours? Was it a grandmother? Who is the best diplomat that you know, or in recent history that you've seen, perhaps on some of the media feeds?

Is it a pope? Is it a saint? There could be any number of those, and my favorite among them certainly could include anybody that is holy, because holy brings together a lot of things, it doesn't mean you're perfect, but you acknowledge authentically who you are and the dignity that you have. And so, what would make Saint John Paul II a great diplomat? Or Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), what personality characteristic, elements do they have that would make them great global diplomats or ambassadors?

And that's probably their focus, who…. - I like to put it this way, Thirst! Mother Teresa often spoke about thirst. She quotes Jesus saying, “I thirst!”, from the cross, and I think if we compare them, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II. They had a thirst, and I want you to recognize FOR WHOM they thirsted.

The other question that I'm going to pose to you is, “Do you thirst for Jesus as well?” I think this is core to being a good diplomat and an ambassador.

Let me help you identify thirst.

What Do We Mean By Thirst?

I'm a young guy, 15 years old, on a farm, and a truck pulls into the yard. My dad starts talking with the guy. He's (my father) leaning on the truck. The driver didn't even get out of his truck, sitting there talking. And it's going on for 5-10 minutes. And I finally mosey on over and I took a peek in the back of the box, and the guy's got five-gallon pails of paint and a paint sprayer, and all the ladders you need. And the guy is trying to make a pitch to paint some of our buildings in the farm, and he's been here a while. (It's 15-20 minutes already).

And I'm saying (to myself), “well, what's driving him? What's, what’s compelling him to sit there?”

I mean, my dad was kindly saying, “you know, we just painted a year ago.”

(Driver) “Yeah, but I have a pressure painting gun!”

He was going at it again and again, and I noticed finally he's sitting there talking to my dad, and on the rearview mirror he had a pair of baby shoes. (pause)

That was his focus. That was his thirst.

Focus. Thirst. Where is yours? What is it focused on? Who do you thirst for?

Samaritan Woman

She (the Samaritan) had, (after encountering Jesus), authenticity.

She recognized her dignity as a result of her encounter with Christ, and she recognized the dignity of everyone else. To encounter Christ - this I think is the core for diplomacy.

This is what brings us to Christ.

Theotokos as Witness For the Holy Spirit

Second to the best, however, would be the Theotokos. She shows us what it is like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We have reflected together a great deal about this over the last 5 days.

Jesus Himself was the Best

Jesus himself was the best diplomat, ambassador, He was God himself, and always did, presented, gave us the Father. “If you see me, you see the Father.” Jn 14:9

That's the perfect Ambassador. That's the perfect Diplomat. That is the perfect Evangelizer. So, don't lose sight of that.

When we look at the authenticity and the integrity of Jesus, who is divine and yet fully human, Who, entered into the mind and body and soul and heart of the Mother of God - this is part of the plan for us, albeit in a different way, different intensity, perhaps. This is what it means to be an ambassador.

Encounter Jesus Christ! Let that conversion lead you to communion and solidarity with others.

Be a Good Ambassador of God –

A Child of God

So, be a good ambassador of God. Learn from the saints, the holy people. Don't wonder who the best ambassador is next time you're asked.

Jump on that answer as you really can, so, like the emcee at the grad banquet, “you don't have to tell everyone everything you know”. But if you do know something, and we all know something, tell it with authenticity, integrity and share it with humility that is becoming of who you are as a child of God.