15th Sunday of Ordinary Time
This Sunday our Gospel reading about Mission. Jesus summons the twelve apostles and sends them in twos on a missionary journey. The chosen followers of Jesus have to carry the word of God as a challenge to others wherever the find people to listen. They are not to rely on their own resources but on the authority that has been given to them by Jesus and the hospitality that will be offered to them. With no bread and no money, they have to depend on the kindness of others: that vulnerability makes their message their real resource. If they have bread to eat, it means that people are not only hospitable to them but to the word they preach. If they are not accepted, they have no option but to move on. And when a town rejects their message, the apostles are to shake the dust from their feet a symbolic act performed by strict Jews returning to Palestine after journeying abroad. Jesus and the Twelve Apostles preached that God would adopt humanity, making its members which include you and me “sons” and “daughters” of the Father This was Good News then just as it is now! We need to be like the twelve who were sent out with the message of Jesus but with one difference we need to seek out those who do not want to hear the message instead of shaking the dust off our feet we really need to let our feet get dirty.
We have to have carry the word of God as a challenge to others and as we carry gods word to others it should also be a challenge to us in our time and place right where we are. We, like the first disciples, are inadequate for the task; yet Christ’s mission for God’s kingdom is given to us in order to make it a reality in our lives and the lives of those who live around us. If we labor under the illusion that we can bring about God’s reign on our own, we will not be advancing God’s kingdom on earth. Paul refers to his experience of preaching the gospel as foolishness. He relishes saying “we are fools for Christ’s sake. Because he understands that it is because of his weakness that the power of Christ can dwell in him. If we understand our own weaknesses we too can be witnesses with the power of Jesus dwelling within us. The crucial point in the Gospel is that by doing things Jesus’ way the Apostles get close to the people, they understand their concerns and they share their life. There is no better way of communicating the love of God to the people around us than sharing the concerns of others and getting close to the people of God where they are in their faith and life Journeys. Let us be fools for Christ like St. Paul as we remember that it is through our weakness that the power of Christ can dwell in us and work through us for other people.
Are we willing to advance his gospel project by our words and deeds in the world? Will we “travel light,” trusting in the Lord’s presence to guide us Or will we wipe the dirt of our feet as we leave?
Fullerton T 