Little brother avi bala bitra                                                                JUL 2021 11 SUN 

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Amos 7: 12-15; Eph 1: 3-14; Mk 6:7-13

 

JESUS SENDS HIS APOSTLES ON A MISSION

 

Welcome to a short reflection on XV Sunday in Ordinary Time.

 God’s way is unique and perfect.

God calls whomever he wants to be His instrument, in bringing people closer to Him.

God wants people to repent and turn back to Him. So, they may find salvation.

 Today’s readings remind us, of our Divine adoption as God's children and of our call to preach the Good News of Jesus by bearing witness to God’s love, mercy, and salvation, as revealed through Jesus:  

"God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world." (Ephesians 1:4).

 The first reading (Am 7:12-15), warns us =that our witnessing mission will be rejected, as happened to Amos.

Amos was not a prophet nor a prophet’s son but, a humble herdsman, whom the Lord took from shepherding the flock and told to prophesy the people of Israel.

Amos defended his prophetic role, with courage, clarifying that it was not his, but God’s choice to elevate him from a shepherd and tree-dresser to a prophet.

Like Amos, we are chosen by God, through the mystery of Divine adoption in Jesus, to become missionaries and to preach the “Good News,” mainly by Christian witnessing.  

This is the same purpose of God’s plan of salvation, explained by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians; the salvific plan that is revealed and fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ.

God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, to be holy and without blame in His presence.

God loves us therefore, He saves us.

Here, St. Paul explains the blessings that we have received through our Baptism and the responsibility that, we have to become missionaries. 

Then Paul reveals the Divine secret that it is God’s eternal plan to extend salvation, through Jesus, to all mankind -- first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. 

Hence, the Jewish and the Gentile Christians need to love, help, and respect one another, and thus, to proclaim Jesus, giving true witness by their lives.

In today’s Gospel (Mk 6:1-13), the evangelist tells the story of Jesus' commissioning of the twelve apostles to preach the “Good News” of repentance, forgiveness of sins, liberation, and salvation through Jesus. 

Just as God sent, the prophet Amos to preach repentance to ancient Israel and St. Paul to preach the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles, so Jesus, sends forth the Twelve to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom and to bring healing to those who need it most.

This saving act of God has fully realized in Jesus Christ, who in Himself was the Good News of God’s love, compassion and mercy to all humankind.

Jesus’ mission of salvation includes all those who are called by His grace, according to the purpose of His will.

Today’s Gospel reports the instruction Jesus gave the apostles for their first mission.

Jesus sends out his disciples into the world to witness to the faith they have received in him: ‘they went out and preached that people should repent.

They are to be walking illustrations of God’s love and providence in action.

They are to preach repentance -- a change of heart and a change of action taking people from a self-centered life to a God-centered life.  

Every Christian faithful is called by God to go out and preach the good news so that all those who believe and repent may be holy and without blame in his presence.

We, too, have a witnessing mission: 

We are called to be witnessing disciples and evangelizing apostles.  As witnessing disciples, we need to follow, imitate, reflect, and radiate only Jesus.

As apostles, we need to evangelize the world by sharing with others our experience of God and His Son, Jesus, proclaiming Jesus’ Gospel and promised salvation through our transparent Christian lives and  words, radiating the love, mercy, forgiveness, spirit of humble service and concern of Jesus to the people around us.

 Jesus gave his apostles both the power and the authority to speak and to act in his name.

 What kind of authority and power does the Lord want us to exercise on his behalf?

When Jesus spoke of power and authority he did something unheard of.

He wedded power and authority with self-sacrificing love and humility.

The "world" and the "flesh" seek power for selfish gain.

Jesus teaches us to use it for the good of our neighbor.

Why does Jesus tell the apostles to "travel light" with little or no provision?

"Poverty of spirit" frees us from greed and preoccupation with our possessions and makes ample room for God's provision.

The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.

He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory.

Jesus by sending them on mission makes them his collaborators.

We too are called to be collaborators of Christ in his Mission.

He needs us.

He counts on us.

The more we give ourselves to the Lord, the more He will use us for His Kingdom.

We need to question ourselves…

Are we ready to use the spiritual authority and power which God wishes us to exercise on his behalf…

The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and blessings.

Are we eager to place ourselves at his service, to do whatever he bids us, and to witness his truth and saving power to whomever he sends us…

Let our prayer be -  Lord, make us the instruments to be the messengers of your forgiveness and love.

-         Avinash Bitra OFM Cap.