HOMILY WEEKDAY 26 04 – Year II
Discipleship: A Test of Faith
(Job 19:21-27; Ps 27; Lk 10:1-12)
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A priest, who was addressing his sermon on Jesus especially to the kids in the congregation, started by describing an imaginary special person who was very kind, good, loved all people and helped everybody, etc. As he spoke, he noticed one excited young boy and asked him what he wanted to say. The boy blurted out, “I know that man – he lives just down the street from me!”
This little story links to our call to discipleship in the gospel, to be that kind of person, that kind of follower of Jesus a child would get excited about.
Luke has two missions, first of the apostles and then of the disciples, to show this mission belongs to the whole church. The number 70 refers to Genesis 10:2-31, indicating all the peoples of the earth. The passage conveys a sense of growth and movement. This commission foreshadows the mission of the early Church to the nations and establishes the pattern for those who are sent out. Two witnesses were required for a testimony to be credible. The disciples are sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for him. In that sense they are forerunners, evangelists, who perpetuate the role of John the Baptist.
Today we are being missioned to carry on that work, that same ministry of the apostles and the early disciples, to prepare the way for people to get to know, love and serve Jesus. The New Interpreters Bible presents ten principles for mission that Jesus outlined:
- The world needs the Church’s mission (“The harvest is plentiful”).
- Prayer is important (“Ask the Lord of the harvest”).
- Each disciple must be an active participant (“Go on your way”).
- Deal with hostility and resistance in a non-violent manner (“Be like lambs among wolves”).
- Be single-minded (“Greet no one on the road”).
- Proclaim the Reign of God (“Pass on peace and say the kingdom is here”).
- Be open to other’s culture and agenda (“Eat what is set before you”).
- Be prepared for failure (“When they do not receive you”).
- Persevere in the mission (“Shake the dust from your feet and move on”).
- Be assured of the mission (“Know this – the kingdom of God has come near.”)
By principles such as these, the Church can be guided in every generation. The context, means and forms of the mission may change continually, but its basis in God’s redemptive love remains constant.
There is implicit in this gospel the reality of consolation and desolation that is part and parcel of a spiritual life, and that of anyone trying to live and spread the gospel. The experience of Job in the first reading, whose faith was strong enough to accept his suffering as redemptive, without bitterness or resentment, and Mother Theresa of Calcutta, whose faith was so strong she was given the experience of the apparent absence of God in her life for over fifty years, stand as inspiring examples for us.
The Eucharist was food for the journey of the early Church, and it is our nourishment for the journey today. May our celebration empower us to go out, live out those principles of mission and be bearers of Good News to those entrusted to our care and to all we meet.
