Amos 7:12-15
Ephesians 1:3-10
Mark 6:7-13
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Today, Jesus is getting us mission
ready.
All of us are called to be missionaries
in this world. By our baptism, each and
every Christian is a missionary disciple commissioned to go into the world and
share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
When we step into mission we
are asked by Christ to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We are asked
by Christ to prepare properly and pack the right things for the journey. That’s
the message to the Twelve today.
Pope Francis shared in
detail what being a missionary disciple means in 2013’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium or Joy of the Gospel, co-written by Bishop of Rome Emeritus Benedict
XVI.
In it Pope Francis explains
how to prepare for missionary discipleship, the state of our world today, and
our place in it.
Here’s what the Holy Father said in the
opening of Evangelii Gaudium:
“The great danger in today’s world, pervaded
as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet
covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted
conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests
and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s
voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the
desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many
fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to
live a dignified and fulfilled life; it is not God’s will for us, nor is it the
life in the Spirit which has its source in the heart of the risen Christ.”
Missionary discipleship begins and grows from
a friendship with the person of Jesus Christ. Once we’ve experienced this close
personal encounter our lives are never the same.
Like
the first disciples — who moved from being fearful and discouraged to fearless
and zealous as missionary disciples — we too can become transformed into
messengers of grace and hope in the world.
This
transformation happens here and now if we are open to it. Just as Jesus called
his disciples as they went about their daily work, he calls us to missionary discipleship in our everyday lives, too.
We
are sustained in our mission by praying, studying scripture, celebrating the
sacraments, and striving to live a good Christian moral life.
This is the only path to peace
and contentment in the world today. But first we must prepare, pack, and become
mission ready.
Today, Jesus is getting his
Twelve Apostles mission ready. He’s preparing them to get comfortable with
being uncomfortable. And He’s telling them what to bring, and what not to
bring, for the journey, a divine packing list of sorts.
Whenever I hear this Gospel I always think
about packing for a trip and the unique ways each of us does this:
Some, like my wife Mary, are
very prepared. The process starts weeks in advance, as lists are developed of what
to bring and what not to bring. These people are very detailed in their preparations
for the journey.
Others, like me, just pack
the night before, using only a mental check-list. No actual list. And, yes, sometimes
I forget things using this method.
Notice
how Jesus is telling the Apostles how to pack for their journey.
Jesus
instructs them “to take nothing for the
journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money…” Yes, they can wear sandals, but no second
tunic.
Scripture scholars see three
big things happening here.
One is Jesus is asking his
disciples to detach themselves from personal possessions.
Jesus
knows our attachments provide us with security and comfort in what we have.
Jesus wants us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and rely solely on
what God provides.
This allows us to be more focused
on who we might meet along the way, on receiving hospitality from these new
friends, and on a dependence on God for everything.
The second big thing happening here
is Jesus is sending out the disciples in pairs. Bible scholars suggest with two
people the virtue of charity is better witnessed by those observing the actions
of the disciples as they go about sharing the Good News.
Jesus
knows the two together will show charity toward each other, prompting observers
to marvel at how these two collaborate, listen to each other, understand each
other, and love each other.
We
are not on our mission as soloists for Christ. We best perform in concert with
others. This is why Jesus is sending out pairs on their first mission.
Isn’t this true for each of
us? Aren’t our journeys more rewarding and meaningful when we do them with
another person. We see things differently because no trip is the same for
everyone. Besides solo travel also can be quite lonely and not as much fun.
The
third big thing happening here: Bible scholars note the similarities in
instructions to the Mission of Twelve to the Israelites at the First Passover
before their Exodus from Egypt. Moses told them to be ready to leave with
nothing, but the clothes on their backs. Moses said the Israelites could trust
God to provide all that they need.
As we saw in the Exodus, the
grumbling Israelites seemed more comfortable trapped in slavery in Egypt than being
free and relying on God’s providence in their lives.
Isn’t that true of us
sometimes? We, too, can become comfortable trapped in our sin, not trusting in
God enough to set us truly free from this enslavement.
This is why mission is so important.
In mission, we take our focus off ourselves and our own needs, and instead
focus on others and their needs. In mission, we find Christ.
Mission can be a scary place. Just ask the 21
parishioners who accompanied us to Guatemala in 2015 and got comfortable with being uncomfortable.
We have to be prepared to
step into this new world. We must be open to learning from the people we meet and
the relationships we build. If we’ve packed appropriately, we will be
transformed by people who have so little (by our first world standards), but
who have more joy than we do. Just experiencing Church in the third world can
open our eyes to this reality. As Pope Francis reminds us in Evangelii Gaudium,
the poor have much to teach us. Let us
keep in our prayers the missionaries from our parish headed to Haiti in a few
weeks.
But mission isn’t always
traveling to faraway lands. Mission can be right here in our community.
Our missionaries doing
homeless outreach and street medicine have learned how to get comfortable with
being uncomfortable and have prepared and packed for this mission.
Experiencing
others trapped in slavery to addiction, mental health crisis and poverty can be
a powerful place to witness Christ.
These
missionary disciples trust in Jesus to take us to the people who need us the
most. They are able to pray in the name of Jesus with many of the 50-75 people
we meet with each night.
It’s
too early to tell if we’ve driven out any demons or cured anyone, but we know
we are bringing Jesus to human souls living on the margins of our society.
We’re also building wonderful relationships with our friends experiencing
homelessness in the area.
And
this is just what Jesus calls each of us to do – to witness Christ to the world
and share the Good News -- especially to the outcast, the despised, the poor
and marginalized.
Pope
Francis says we cannot witness Christ locked inside of the Church. We have to
be prepared to take Jesus out into the streets.
Maybe it's time to check our own packing list to see if we are ready to travel as
missionary disciples, ready to bring the Kingdom’s message of liberation and
freedom to those we meet along the way.
So, I ask: Are you prepared
to get comfortable with being uncomfortable?
Are you able to shed some attachments to help lighten the load for the
journey? Are you mission ready? 