THE MISSION OF CHRIST
The mission of Christ continues through our Christian vocation to witness to the Kingdom of God. This is the mission of God, and we are just participants or collaborators. It is a prophetic mission to proclaim the grace, mercy, and peace of God. As well as it is a mission to denounce evil, injustice and oppression.
Equally, it is a mission to speak the truth without fear or favour of anyone. It is a mission within a hostile and volatile environment that could lead to rejection or indifference.
However, it is a mission that must continue in season and out of season, with reception or rejection. A prophetic missionary does not choose for himself the place or manner to proclaim the truth, justice or grace, peace and mercy of God. Nor the message he must carry to the people God send him to.
The mission of Christ is the mission of all baptized Christian and as well the mission of the Church. It is a collaborative mission in a team. It is not an individual mission. If not, Christ alone would have realized it without our collaboration.
OUR THEME
The readings of this Sunday remind us of the plan of God and our divine adoption as children of God. They also invite us to reflect on our call to preach the Good News of Jesus by bearing witness to the love, grace, mercy, and salvation of God as revealed through Jesus.
This divine plan of God to have us participate as prophetic missionaries in his kingdom of justice, peace and mercy is well-articulated in the Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians 1:4. When he affirms that: “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” That is, not only our lives as humans but our vocations as Christians were part of the predisposition plan of God for ages.
The readings prepare us to know that our missionary testimony could be rejected and denounced. Much so, in the hands of those who claim to be working for God. It is a missionary witnessing that calls us to detachment from worldly things, persons, and worries. For our well-being as God will always provide the needs of the trusted missionary.
FIRST READING. AMOS 7:12-15
Amos, the herdsman and a sycamore tree dresser, when he was called and commissioned by God to be His instrument to decry the social ills and injustice in the society of his time. Prophet Amos task was to denounce the brutality of injustice against the poor and oppressed by the wealthy political and religious classes in the name of God.
Though, he had abandoned his loved profession and comfort zone to a new and challenging task of proclaiming God message of truth and justice. He met with opposition and rejection not from the ordinary people but from the religious authorities who have mortgaged themselves to defend the political and economic classes that exploit the people.
Interestingly, Prophet Amos did not back down because of the threat or rejection of his God-given task by the bitter and angry chief priest Amaziah. Instead, he stood his ground and clarified his prophetic mission as a mission entrusted to him by God. He is only an instrument of God to deliver his message.
Contextually, Amos was not a prophet or from a prophetic line of succession. This complicated his problem, much so he was not from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He was from the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and he had no place in the north to prophesying.
There was a superabundance of court prophets who serve as national advisers to the King of Israel in the history of the Northern Kingdom. These professional prophets were sustained and maintained in the court of the King of Israel to tell him what he wanted to hear; everything but the truth.
These prophets were more praise singers than truth-tellers. Hence, it was urged for God to pull out Amos from his regular life to be a prophet that tells the king and the people of their wrongdoings. Prophet Amos was an alone prophet who spoke the truth to the king and the people and refused to be one of these professional prophets.
Hence, they gang up or banded against him and told him to go home to his own countrymen in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. “Go away,” they said, “we want no more of your style of prophesying.” Indeed, they turned the king, the people and even the religious authorities against Amos to chase him away from the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Prophet Amos message was straightforward on the issues of social injustices and inequalities amongst the people of that era of so much prosperity. He condemned the luxurious dwellings and lifestyle of the wealthy: merchants, politicians, judges, and priests. Their selfish and greedy exploitation of the poor, their lack of concern for justice in the community. As well, how the courts were used to evade the law and perpetuate abuses.
Our missionary choice is not based on our colour, race, or status but on our willingness and disposition to be the messengers of God. This was the case with Amos. Sometimes, God chose an outsider to bring renewal and vitality to the prophetic mission or ministry. It is obvious when an existing religious structure is compromised or corrupted. And the truth is no longer at the reach of the people.
The psalmist in Psalm 85 encourages us to seek the Lord so that we might experience his kindness and salvation. When he acclaims, “Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation”. In a beautiful, poetic and prophetic way, the psalmist expresses his salvific dream of God for his people: “kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven”.
SECOND READING. EPHESIANS 1:3-14
In the Greek Bible, the long passage from Eph.1:3-14 is one sentence. It is so long and complicated because it represents not so much a reasoned statement as a lyrical song of praise. It was the praise of St Paul on lavishing grace of God to mankind in and through Christ Jesus. Here, he unveils the divine plan of God right from the inception of time to make Christ the centre and unifying grace of our salvation.
For St. Paul, the richness and glory of God in Christ Jesus comes with a spiritual mandate. It comes as our mission. Therefore, we as Christians must promote this heavenly richness and spiritual wealth or values in the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, in Christ Jesus, we do not only have glory, grace, peace and mercy. In Him also, we have the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and the promised Holy Spirit. This is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God´s people to the praise of his glory.
- Mankind and their salvation have been God divine plan since the inception of creation.
- The fullness of that divine plan culminates in the Person of Christ Jesus.
- He is our Lord and Saviour by whom God restore us and the universe to wholeness through his grace, peace and mercy.
- We are destined to be part and parcel of this divine plan of God to continue its realization in the Body of Christ: the Church or the Christian community.
- It is God´s divine plan or purpose for us to become the instruments of his salvation to all creatures and creation in and through Christ Jesus.
In this section, Paul is thinking of the Christians as the chosen people of God. The text focuses on the fact of God´s choice through grace. The bounty choice of God of us with every heavenly and spiritual blessing and the purpose of that choice of God that is for us to be holy and blameless in Christ Jesus.
This Christian choice of new life in Christ Jesus is the divine plan of God. A mystery of salvation predestined since the foundation of the world. The Christian is an adopted son and daughter of God in Christ Jesus through deliverance, forgiveness and knowledge of God.
Finally, for Paul, the goal of history is the fulfilment of God´s will through his divine plan. It is the Christian conviction, too, that history is the working out of the will of God. This is all possible through the action of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit assures our redemption as well as our unity in the Christian life.
THE GOSPEL: MARK 6:7-13
In the gospel, Jesus commissioned and sent out in pairs his disciples. A challenging task of proclaiming the gospel of truth, the repentance of sin, the healing of the sick and the casting out devils and evils in society.
However, their God-given mission is also the mission of Christ himself. They were to act only as ambassadors or representatives of God or Christ. There are specific instructions to be followed, that is, the instructions of the Lord or master of the mission they were carried out.
- It is a collaborative mission where teamwork supersedes individual or individualism or dominance, control or manipulation. Thus, it is a mission, where the individual talent of the apostles is the key to a diversified apostolic witnessing. As each of them brought his unique gift to the work of Christ. Something that polishes missionary dynamics to bear testimony to God´s kingdom among men.
- It is a mission but also a trust. The disciples must rely on the providence ofGod through the generosity of the people they missioned to.
- It is a mission that calls for total detachment from worries, material things or people that may become obstacles to its realization. Indeed, there is a sense of missionary, pastoral or priestly poverty that comes with carrying out the mission of Christ.
- It is a mission of vulnerabilities and lacks basic necessities such as a staff, bread, bag, money, or extra tunic.
- It is a mission to trust and peaceful coexistence among the people who received them. It is not a mission to despise or belittle the host or to pose with a sense of superiority. Or, it is a mission to coarse or uses violent subjugation or manipulation to believe in the gospel.
- It is a mission of honesty, truth, invitation and free will. A mission of learning and teaching the host people with humility and simplicity.
- It is a mission of hospitality where for the sake of the kingdom of God, the two cultures learn to dialogue. The disciples must learn from those they teach as the people learn from them. Each one of them must be open to engaging in a peaceful, respectful and interactive manner.
- It is a difficult mission with oppositions, hostilities, rejections and indifferences. However, they must continue despite all odds and challenges. It is one of witnessing to the kingdom of God whether men welcome or accept it.
- It is a mission of embodiment to live an exemplary life and testimony. This is certain as Christ never told the disciples what to preach to the people but how to live among them practically. The Disciples of Christ were to witness the Kingdom of God through the example of their lifestyle. Thereby leading others to accept freely and willingly the gospel message of Christ Jesus.
- It is a saving and rescuing mission of all living under physical, mental, emotional, psychological or spiritual oppression of the evil ones.
- The mission of Christ should be a witnessing, liberating, or identification as God chosen and adopted children in Christ Jesus.
- It is a mission with a message to be proclaimed from the owner of the mission: God.
The point of today is that no matter what our world, society, politicians and popular opinions promote, truth is still the truth! Our Christian vocation is a prophetic call that makes us stand for and with the truth always. God through us in Christ Jesus needs authentic prophets to communicate the truth of the gospel of Christ to all people without fear or favour.
Prophets with strong will or character to stand up for the truth despite hostility, rejection, persecution or indifference. The true mark of the Christian disciple was to be utter simplicity, complete trust, and the generosity which is out always to give and never to demand.
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS
Are you aware by your baptism that you have been called to a prophetic witnessing in the Christian community? How do you transmit the truth of the gospel message of Jesus Christ to others in our time? Through the eloquence of words or through the concrete and exemplary lifestyle of actions and words? Do you know you have a spiritual wealth of grace, peace and mercy to base the prophetic mission of Christ in your human, Christian, religious or priestly vocation?
Do you have confidence and trust in the Lord of the mission? To provide and project you while you carry out the prophetic work of missionary life? Do you have a humble and simplistic missionary lifestyle of detachment from money, people or things that may become obstacles to your missionary endeavours?
Are you dispose of as a Christian prophet to a messenger or spokesperson of God to a friendly and unfriendly environment? Are you ready to stand tall with courage on the message of peace, justice and truth without fear or favour of anyone? Are you prepared to stand alone and face the hostility, bitter and harsh consequence of rejections, persecutions and indifferences for being a prophetic voice to the truth of the gospel of Christ?
OUR PRAYER
Lord, Jesus Christ, You are the Lord and owner of the Christian mission, a Mission of God(Missio Dei). Help us realize that the Christian life is a calling and commissioning not only to be instructed in the faith and knowledge. It is also a practical living to live in love, hope, grace, peace, justice, and action. Help us to be instruments of yours to speak out against societal ills and champions of truth no matter the unpopularity, rejection, hostility or indifference. Amen
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