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.
OR:
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 God’s 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.
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,
“I CHOOSE YOU.”
This is the resounding message from the Scripture Readings today. Amos took no delight in being a prophet. It wasn’t something he aspired to be. He was a simple shepherd breeding sheep in Judah when God called him to the prophetic office. Dutifully he responded and was lifted up to a position of greatness. He wasn’t perfect. He did not earn this title. It was through God that he achieved all the things that he achieved. When the priest of Bethel rebuked him and told him almost sarcastically to go back to Judah, “There earn your bread by prophesying,” Amos replied,
“I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.”
He further explained that it was God who took him away from what he did previously and commanded him to prophesy in His name.
Amos might have thought that he would be a shepherd forever. That was what he knew best and, most likely, was what his father did and his father before him. It was his interaction with God that changed everything. God has that capability to impact us in the most profound ways. It is when we respond to His presence that this impact can be felt. He is always calling us, but we are not always responding. Many times, we find ourselves resisting His call and ignoring His presence. This usually leads to misery and disfunction in our lives. It is through God that our true potential and greatness can be realized.
Unbeknownst to us, we have had advantages in our lives far greater than we ever thought. Unfortunately, there are times when we choose not to use them. Paul describes how, through Christ, we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” We are receivers of all of God’s power and love through Jesus Christ. We were chosen from the beginning of time to be unblemished and to do great things with God. But, like many great people before us, things prevent us from acting to our full potential. Our free will compromises this advantage and sometimes even wipes it out. We even have the audacity to minimize the full impact of the spiritual world and all the things (angels, saints, Mary Mother of God) it contains. We are fully connected and intertwined with the spiritual realm but are always at risk of not recognizing this or even taking advantage of that fact. Instead, our brokenness brings us back to a reliance on ourselves which causes us to fall short all the time. In other words, we become our worst enemy.
In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus commissioned the Twelve to go out by twos. He instructed them not to take any money, any extra clothes or food. They were to have a complete reliance on God. All would be provided for them. The thing that they did have was the authority of God. We too have this same authority if we stay in right relationship with Him. We cannot be distracted by the allures of this world. These things constantly threaten to compromise our relationship with God. There needs to be constant adjustments made to keep our priorities straight. This can be accomplished through prayer, meditation, and worship. We also must act out our faith in our daily living. Just as Jesus’ disciples relied on each other, we too must rely on those in our community and interact with each other. Through these things, we will encounter a better way of living and a more joyous life. We will then become instruments of God and evangelizers of the faith. Through this process, we all become benefactors as well as those whom we interact with. This is the Christian Ideal and something we all can aspire to. Aspiring to what God wants for us instead of what we want ourselves will only lead to great things.
Deacon Tom
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