Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Jesus…began to send them out two by two…and…He instructed them to take nothing for the journey.” Each Christian is called to spread the Gospel in their unique way. Each of us has particular passions, skills, life experiences, and encounters with God that give life to that message. However, many people feel inadequate to the task of evangelization. This is partly due to the presumption that they are not called to it because they have been given no special ‘sending forth’ by Church authorities—they are not part of that committee. This presumption is false; each of us has been given that command by Christ and the Church. However, another thought is far more insidious in its destructive power: we cannot spread the Gospel because we are not special.
This attitude goes against everything that Jesus taught us and everything that Jesus did for us. St. Paul teaches that we have been adopted by the Father to be His sons and daughters and that we have received the grace of being chosen, “destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things.”
“But,” you might say, “I am not a gifted speaker,” or “I have not gone to school for theology,” maybe, “I have not always led a perfect life.” Fine, but Christ did not call the perfect; rather, he called you and me sinners. He instructs the apostles in today’s Gospel to go out with nothing, to have no resources, and to have very little training; the only thing they can bring with them is his authority and spirit. And what does the Gospel say happened? Listen, “The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” Stripped of worldly ability and resources, the apostles performed great miracles because they had Christ.
You to have received Christ, you have received the Holy Spirit, you have received the summons to go out. You may not have the worldly ability and resources that we are told are necessary for success but what you do have is the same gifts of the apostles, the same faith, the same Lord. God believes in you because he has adopted you as a son and daughter. He trusts you are capable of this great mission because he has given himself to you; embrace it with all your heart and proclaim the good news.
Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections