|
Readings: The
followers of Jesus begin a new stage in the process of discipleship--
the stage of Mission. Now is up to the Twelve to proclaim what
they have seen and heard.
Jesus is well aware that they will have to confront evil
in its many dimensions. Jesus speaks to him from his own pastoral
experience. He empowers them to take on the evil that
we find and he gives them some counsel, recommending a certain style of simplicity,
the ability to adjust to circumstances and to aware that they
will be well-received and at times, rejected.
The proclamation of the good news must be a free offering;
no one can be forced to accept it.
All-new
beginnings have their difficulties.
The prophet Amos experienced that.
At the same time new beginnings are moments filled with
the hope and joy that come from the inspiration that gave birth
to this moment. Jesus wants his disciples about how things
are so that they won't be taken by surprise. All the same, each evangelizer is different, and each
mission particular. Indeed
there are times
when we expect good things to happen and nothing of the sort
occurs. The
one who accepts a missionary project needs to remember that
it is God who brings forth the fruit of our work. For this reason the missionary needs to
do all she can to be sure that the message that she gives motivates, disturbs, and yet is believable to those
who hear it. Jesus
knows what they awaits the Twelve.
He sends them forth in pairs-- in this way they will
enjoy the mutual support so necessary in the fulfillment of
the mission and so helpful in resisting evil. They set out with a liberating mission,
but we must ask-- are these missionary's capable of this? At the end of the tax we're told how the
disciples expelled many demons in sealed many sick. In this way the Twelve began to gain confidence
in themselves, knowing that they were indeed capable of doing
that which Jesus himself did. The
one who is sent out knows that he must remain in that place
until the mission is finished. We see this and Amos's work is well as
in the instructions that Jesus gave to the Twelve. The one who is sent goes forth not on
his own account, but in the name of the One who sent him. Jesus counts on the goodwill of the many
men and women who will open the doors to their homes to share
what they have. The
disciples are told remain in these homes until they are ready
to Mo Vaughn. May also tells them that in those places
where they are not welcomed nor listened to, that they are to
leave “shaking the dust from their sandals.”
This gesture service as a public condemnation of that
community. However we might also understand this
gesture to be assigned of intolerance on the part of the missionary
who can't stand to be rejected.
We are reminded once again that no one can be obliged
to receive the good news. People have the rights to disagree at
the show that they do not agree with the gospel-- in this case
the evangelizer must take a more tolerant and understanding
attitude, awaiting perhaps another opportunity to share his
good news. Unfortunately
and to the contrary to that which Jesus practiced, the proclamation
of the gospel, most of the time and in most places was done
violently, either with the sword, or through laws that discriminated
against non-Christians, or through a clever psychological pressure
which threatened people to convert or to be condemned. Indeed we are in danger of exercising
a kind of violence when we insist upon the custom of baptizing
children instead of taking the risk that they themselves freely
opt to be Christians when they are older.
Amongst the major religions, Christianity at least has
a history that questions the credibility of the great numbers
home we claim to be our own and of which we are quite proud. The great numbers of those who are Christian
in name only leaves much to desire it raises many doubts about
Christianity's future in a world which is less and less susceptible
to religious coercion.
One awaits a future-- a future that we already see present
in the old Christian world (Europe, for example)-- of diminishment
and abandonment, a situation which should not be interpreted
as a catastrophe rather as an opportunity to recover the quality
which was sacrificed at the price of quantity. Jesus
does tell his followers that if their message is rejected, that
they are to shake the dust from their sandals and move on-making
it clear that while no one is obligated to accept this message,
the message itself is of vital importance and is not to be trifled
with. The same
respect that the Gospel message shows for others’ beliefs is
to be accorded to the Gospel itself.
By the same token, it is the Gospel that is being preached,
and the missionaries are to avoid any watering down of this
message, even if such a thing would make the Gospel more palatable
to those who are hearing it. For
Personal Consideration Jesus
constantly insisted on a person’s conversion.
His message was not so much a call to moral reform as
to a complete transformation of the way one understood life.
Conversion is the process of a turning that allows one
to fill life with reasons for hope, for trust in the presence
of God in daily, for confidence in God’s providence. What is the conversion that God is calling
me to? What do
I need to change in my life? From
where have I come, and where is it that I am headed?
With the proper hearing of the Gospel, this mystery reveals
itself—that we are not simply the results of a casual happening
in the universe, that we have been created, that is, made for
something, that God does indeed have a plan for us, and that
our lives are moving toward a specific end—abundant life in
the Lord. Is this in fact the faith that I know
and share? For
the Group’s Consideration Amos
was no professional prophet. He was someone actually guided by God—it
is thus that he was able to proclaim his message fearlessly,
to everyone he came into contact with.
He was even able to speak clearly and strongly to his
friends, to the leaders of the temple, and to other people of
influence who were in fact offended by his message. The group might discuss the role of the
prophet and his or her relationship with the institutional church
(or state). Is
it even possible for a prophet to have a good relationship with
the church or state? Throughout
his life, Jesus gave priority to the announcement of the Reign
of God. Indeed, the theme of the Reign of God
formed the centerpiece of his life.
Everything else that he did or said were merely examples
of the Reign of God, or explanations of the Reign of God.
Prophecy in the Church is not the gift of hearing mysterious
voices but rather what happens when the reality of the Reign
of God is held up to the Church as its measure.
As the Church should, as did Jesus, take the Reign of
God as its goal and as its reason for being, it is likely that
the Church will be subject to the judgment of its own members
when it fails to put into practice the values of the Reign of
God. Do we agree
that the Church should be open to these forms of criticism? What are examples in which the Church
has rejected prophetic voices? The
Prayer of the Faithful For
the Church, that it never commit the sin of silencing its prophetic
voices when they threaten those who might otherwise reward the
church with honors, riches, power, or peace, we pray to the
Lord. For
those who govern the peoples of the world, that they might put
themselves at the service of others, seeking the common good
of all, but especially of the poor and the marginated, we pray
to the Lord. That
we might be gifted always with those who know how to profess
the painful truths that we need to hear, we pray to the Lord. That
television, radio and the press be free to offer the peoples
of the world the truth; that they be strong when confronted
by those who wish to purchase their services for their own interests,
we pray to the Lord. For
all of us, that we might be sensitive to the consequences of
being Jesus’ disciples, that we might be peaceful in living
with the consequences of this option of life, we pray to the
Lord. Let
Us Pray Loving
and gracious Lord, you who constantly call us to preach to all
peoples the good news of the coming of your rule, the wonderful
news of your justice, and the hope of the fraternity of all
peoples, help us as we struggle to proclaim this news in our
day and time. We make this prayer in the name of Jesus
Christ our Lord. |
|||
|
Claretian Communications,
Inc. • 8 Mayumi St. UP Village, Diliman 1101, Quezon City, Philippines
|
|||