Nomads of The Good News!

 (Homily 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The first reading and the gospel are suggestive of the theme on mission, and in particular the gospel brings down the discourse to the mission of the Church. In the Church’s mission what counts is not merely the apparent success or failure, but the Church’s fidelity to the Gospel message. In the first reading, Amos was not that successful at Bethel and in the Gospel passage, the 12 were warned of a possible rejection. In the Old Testament, God was sending his prophets to the people of Israel, this was the case of Amos. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ sends his twelve apostles for the first apostolic mission. Jesus in the Mission to spread the Good News calls us to become nomads of His love message, nomads of the Good News. At the heart of todays Gospel is the glaring fact that if you are baptized (you are a priest, prophet and king) you are called to bring God’s word to others. But are ready for this prophetic mandate? On this, St. Peter has these encouraging words for us: “Always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pt. 3:15). Similarly, St. Paul treads the same line in the second reading and reminds us of our election before creation, and our primordial mission “to be holy and blameless before Him”. Interestingly, while the first reading talks about the prophetic mission, and the gospel talks about the apostolic mission and thus the mission of the Church, the second reading instead tailors down the theme of mission to the personal level.

     The first reading (Am. 7:12-15) presents the disagreement between two figures: Amaziah (a chief priest of the temple in Bethel, who was also at the service of the King), and Amos (a simple prophet, rich in faith and courageous too). The disagreement took place in the locality of Bethel, in the northern Jewish kingdom. This passage places before us two contrasting conceptions of religion, one represented by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel and the other represented by the prophet Amos. Amaziah understood religion in “civil” terms, as a means to promote loyalty to the status quo. He thought that his function was to prophesy easy things. Contrarily, Amos was called by God, even though he was an outsider, to denounce the government for its injustice and inhuman politics. Amos comes from the Southern Kingdom. Even though he admired  riches and wellbeing in the north, but he was not seduced or carried away by those things, because in the midst of riches, wellbeing and economic breakthrough Amos was also able to see some other factors: injustice, prostitution and exploitation of the poor. He couldn’t keep quiet and watch injustice flourish. Prior to the arrival of Amos, Jeroboam II was the King, and he has brought his people to a high economic level (even though this was apparent, because the poor were continuously exploited). Apparently too, their religion seem to flourish, their shrines are always full of pilgrims, also the King was very religious, as he pays the priests. Even their religion that seemed to flourish was only limited to mere observance, it never transformed their lives.

     On his arrival, Amos raised his voice against their misdeeds. Their apparent economic progress was fruit of the injustice meted out to the poor, while their so called religiosity was mere exteriority and inconsistency between what is preached and what is lived. Amos couldn’t tolerate nor allow himself to be silenced, he spoke up. For this, Amaziah the chief priest was terrified, he imagined what could be the reaction of the King if he comes to know of this. Then, he wanted to silence Amos. He denounced Amos to the King and then cautions him directly “Seer, go away to the land of Judah, and eat bread their and prophesy there, but never prophesy again at Bethel” (v.12). But the reply of Amos was very interesting, “I am not a prophet, nor do I belong to a prophetic brotherhood. I am merely a herdsman and dresser of sycamore-figs” (v.14). He was not intimidated by Amaziah with such words. Amos prophesied doom on the King who allowed injustice in his kingdom and few years later Jeroboam died. In the person of the chief priest, we see a religiosity that is a slave to power and as such was subject to compromization. He domesticated religion, and refused to see or to speak against evil. In the person of Amos instead we see an authentic religiosity, exercised in freedom and anti-conformism. Where do we belong? To the group of Amos or the group of Amaziah? (those who stand for the truth, those that see evil and call it evil or those who shy away from denouncing evil, and as such they denounce good instead of evil as Amaziah did). Do our religious practices change our life and influence positively the life of those around us (Amos) or we use it to paper over the crack (Amaziah) and to become resistant to truth? Today, if we look around we see many men of God, and the number of churches continues to increase with unimaginable names. Yet, we still have to ask ourselves how many are in the line of Amos and how many in the line of Amaziah?

     The gospel pericope of Mark today (Mk. 6:7:13) narrates the episode of the mission ad gentes and intra gentes of the apostles. In his gospel, Mark is very much interested in the twelve. Even though they are sometimes presented in a negative way, of being blind and incapable of perceiving the mystery of Jesus and his mission (cf. Mk. 9:19). However, in this context they are presented in a positive light; for they were handed over the same message and mission as the Master himself. Upon proper perusal into this passage we see a number of particularities imbedded in the injunctions and instructions of Jesus. First, Jesus ordered his apostles to go in twos, not one, one. This indeed denotes that the first message that the apostles bring is togetherness, communion and love. Second, He ordered them not to take nothing for the journey except a staff. A staff to lean on when physically tired on the journey, and a friend to lean on when in need of communion. Third, he further ordered them to take no bread, no bag, no money, but to were sandals and not to put on two tunics, here is as if Jesus tells his apostles you will be nourished by your trust in God, who will provide for you, and trust in men, who will open their houses. Indeed, Jesus wants us to becomes nomads of his love, nomads of his Good News of Salvation. In the instructions of Jesus, I see what could be classified today as the rules for evangelists, indeed rules of authentic evangelism.

     St. Mark in his gospel not only reminds us of this episode, but he equally indicated the conditions to be a true prophet of God, free and without compromisation. Three are the conditions: ●Unconditional fidelity to God who calls and sends, to proclaim His Words even when it brings discomfort. ●Fidelity to man, because Jesus sends them to liberate man from the dominions of Satan and evil, to promote the dignity of man in its two manifestations of the corporal and the spiritual dimensions. ●Detachment from worldly things and self-abnegation, to confide not in human means but in the power of God. And upon adherence to this conditions, the closing verse of the passage says: “And they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them” (Mk.6:13).

     Drawing the issue further, still reflecting on todays readings we want to grapple with the questions of who, how and what, with reference to God’s call and mission.

►In the Old testament WHO does God call, who does He send to mission as a prophet? He sends simple and common people, a classical example is Amos, a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees. In the New testament Jesus chooses and sends fishermen, simple and common people, there He calls all who are ready to make a space for God in their lives.

►HOW did God send His prophets of old to Israel and how did Jesus send His apostles to the world? In the Old Testament the prophets were sent, only armed with the message from God. Jesus sent them disarmed, rather they are armed with the Word and Providence of God. Jesus accompanies his people with the power of His Spirit. Jesus told His apostles not to carry anything with them. Their major concern is the message they are sent to proclaim. Even though, it does appear that Jesus was more interested in the modality of the proclamation of the Good News, than in the contents.

►The question of WHAT has to do with the contents of the message. What message were they to proclaim in God’s name? In the Old testament the prophets, and in the context of today’s first reading Amos called back the attention of the people to fidelity to divine promises. While in the gospel the apostles are to preach about conversion. Conversion which means change of mentality and a return to God and the observance of His laws.

     In the two readings we see a common fate in stock for the prophets of God and for the Apostles of Christ. In the first reading, Amos was sent away and sent back to his place of origin, “Seer, go away to the land of Judah, and eat bread their and prophesy there, but never prophesy again at Bethel” (v.12). And in many occasions in the gospel Jesus told his apostles: “In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous; I have conquered the world” (Jn. 16:33), “You will be universally hated on account of my name” (Mt. 10:22a). But why this fate? It is simply because the prophets and the apostles have to speak ‘in the name of God’, not for human interests. They are to bring or disseminate a message that contradicts the spirit and the mentality of the world. Thus, it is a discomforting message for many! Yet, the prophets and the apostles are called to proclaim the message in and out of season. You too are to do same!

     In all, the mission of the prophets, of the apostles, of Christ himself, has been entrusted to the Church, which comprises all the baptized, but in particular to the Pope, Bishops and priests. Therefore, predicated upon our baptism, God calls us all to proclaim the Good news, and we are called to do this with courage and conviction, without looking back. He calls us to be ready to bear the criticisms that may arise from the mission, or from the reactions that the mission may provoke or from the hostility that one can encounter. God’s prophetic mission and Jesus’ apostolic mission are missio ad gentes and missio intra gentes. A mission to the people and a mission to experience and live with and in the midst of the people. We as God’s children are sent by God to preach, not by mere words, but necessarily with our deeds.

     Above all,  St. Paul reminds us in the second reading (Eph. 1:3-14) that we first existed in God’s mind, because even before the foundation of the world He has already started lavishing His blessings on us. And St. Paul here reawakens in us the consciousness of our primordial mission, to be holy and blameless before God. In the words of Pope Francis we have to preach with words only when it is necessary. On the other hand, it reminded us of our filial dignity as sons and daughters in and through Christ, who redeemed us through his blood. Dear friends in Christ, let us pray and ask God, through His Son to continue to bless and protect all the ministers of the Good News. May they never be weighed down by criticisms, rejection and discrimination. May our lives become existential Good news, that others may emulate. For if we hear the words of truth and believe in Him, we also will be sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit who is the Guarantee of our inheritance (Eph. 1:14).

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)