How Do You View The Mission Of Christ?

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Amos 7:12-15
Psalm 84(85):9-14
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:7-13

In the pursuit of participating in the mission of Christ, challenges often arise due to the innate rebellious nature of mankind hindering the response to God’s invitation to know, love, and serve Him. This may also be attributed to excessive preoccupation with worldly possessions.

Today’s gospel emphasizes Christ’s instruction to his disciples to travel lightly as they embark on their preaching mission, carrying only essential items. This minimalist directive signifies the expectation for the recipients to show generosity by providing for the disciples’ needs.

It also teaches the disciples to depend wholly on God, acknowledging that He will meet both their physical and spiritual requirements. The message underscores the notion of not being encumbered by material concerns, but rather, being available for the mission.

Saint Paul’s perspective portrays his acknowledgment of being the beneficiary of God’s abundant provisions. Through a hymn of praise in the second reading, Paul extols the spiritual blessings bestowed upon us by God, emphasizing the priceless gift of being chosen, equipped with the requisite resources, wisdom, and insight to fulfill our Christian calling.

The first reading highlights Amos’s encounter with priests at Bethel who sought to deter him from preaching. Amos responds with unwavering confidence, attributing his calling to the Lord, who empowered him with the wisdom, courage, and determination to fulfill his prophetic mission. This account illustrates the sufficiency found in God alone and the disciples’ training to trust in the promise of God’s provision.

In alignment with these teachings, the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes the proper direction of affections to avoid hindrances in the pursuit of perfect charity, cautioning against worldly attachments and highlighting the true purpose of possessing riches.

It underscores the importance of utilizing worldly goods for God’s glory, underscoring that failure to do so may impede one’s reception of God’s call and teachings.

Adopting an understanding that our possessions are blessings from God can safeguard us from straying from the life intended by Christ. This perspective grants us the courage to forgo reliance on material possessions and encourages the employment of God’s gifts for His kingdom.

In doing so, we can acknowledge these gifts as generous provisions from our heavenly Father and be prepared to travel lightly as we engage in God’s mission in this world or embark on the journey to come.

Let us, therefore, extend to others the same gifts received from God, recognizing His role as the ultimate provider who meets our every need.

Fr Joseph Osho