Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 104
Reading I
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant
us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD —for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Reading II
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope that
belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
As Christians we are constantly called by Jesus Christ to love and serve Him. We are commissioned in much the same way as The Apostles in the Gospel Reading today to go out and evangelize The Faith to all those we interact with. We will be encouraged to do great things and small things alike. Sometimes we will be called for a special mission while at other times this evangelization will be centered upon our individual conduct and acts of charity guided by The Holy Spirit. Regardless of what we are asked to do all is important and has value. Where we are in our faith life doesn’t really matter. It is not about us. It is about Jesus Christ and the truth that He posses. This truth was given to us freely through Divine Revelation and now we are instruments of God to be used to bring this truth to other people. There is a great responsibility here and one that we cannot take lightly.
We can all compare ourselves to the prophet Amos. He was a shepherd in the Northern Kingdom. He was uneducated and could be considered one of no special talent. Yet he was called to The Prophetic Office by God; raised up to the highest of heights in stature by the presence of God. Without God there is nothing special about us. We are all in possession of skills and talents which make us unique. Nobody is exempt from this. These things alone do not make us stand out. It is when we use these rightly and in the service of God that we stand out with our uniqueness. That is why we feel good when we do good. The Holy Spirit moves us and we are able to feel God’s Love. When rebuked by Amaziah the priest Amos responded by humbling himself; indicating that it was God who was directing his actions. Imagine a mere shepherd going up against all the kingly and religious powers of The Northern Kingdom without fear or apprehension. It was God who gave him everything he needed to accomplish his mission. In much the same way God will give us everything we need to complete what we are required to do. We just need to acknowledge it and accept it.
If we ignore what God wants us to do we will never live a complete and joyful life as He intended us to do. Take a moment to contemplate this. Many spiritual directors have used that statement about ignoring God as a beginning of a spiritual examination of one’s life: How was our spirituality during different phases of our life from infancy upward to adulthood. Through this process a pattern should emerge that when we were not close to God we were further away from joy; immersed in fears, anxieties, and resentments. This is one point that is completely obvious if we examine it but where our own pride prevents us from acknowledging the truth. When we become familiar with God we become familiar with ourselves and joyful with who we are. Not only will we see the difference between right and wrong more clearly but we will also have the strength to make corrections from wrong to right.
The Apostle Paul tells us that we are all part of one body through Jesus Christ. By His grace we are each a part of that body with a particular function that compliments the entire body. This goes back to all of us having special skills and abilities, when used correctly, compliment the entire body. No other person can do what another person has been commissioned to do. All of our functions assigned to us are unique to us and need to used by us if we are to have fulfillment in our lives. Some of these assignments might seem trivial and no big consequence but, when added to the all others, brings about a complete picture through the vision and will of God. We have the ability to see the vision when we are open to adding our contribution to it.
God’s vision is obviously better than our vision. God’s ways are obviously better than our ways. This is indisputable. If He is calling us and has given us particular skills so as to build up His kingdom here on this earth then doesn’t it serve reason that we should respond to that call. Why should we resist? Why should we ignore Him? It is highly illogical to listen to ourselves instead of Him if we want true joy and a satisfactory life. Amos could have ignored the call and went back to his quiet life taking care of his family and shepherding his sheep. He chose not to do so and decided upon the hard road that God lay out before Him. Using Amos as an example we can transform ourselves and our lives into the person that God intended us to be. From there only great things can abound.
Deacon Tom
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