First Reading
Amos 7:12-15
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.”
Second Reading
Ephesians 1:3-14
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.
Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 6:7-13
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.
It is difficult for us when we know that God is asking something from us. This is the experience of many, many people in our human history. Today we hear the Prophet, Amos, who is called to speak and who is rejected by those who hear him. In the Gospel we have Jesus telling the twelve that they must go and preach His message, recognizing that they will be rejected by at least some of those to whom they preach, if not by the majority.
Amos says: I am not a prophet nor a member of the group of prophets! We can echo that in our lives. Always it is good to distrust those who claim: I am a prophet.
But how do we listen to those who speak against our ways of looking at life and living life? That is a real challenge for us. What do we think about those in our Church who challenge the present structures and ways of doing things? Are they true prophets? If we look at some of the strong issues in the Christian Churches today, we see challenges for the inclusion of women as sacramentally ordained priests, for the inclusion of practicing homosexuals as sacramentally ordained priests, for acceptance of divorced people to Holy Community, for the acceptance of birth control, for the acceptance of abortion, for a different way of governing the Church—and many other issues.
Does a challenge against the present way of doing things make a person a prophet? Probably not! The prophets in our tradition claim the very authority of God: God has spoken to me and I cannot do otherwise! Most of the challenges we face today, it seems at times, simply come from a change in the culture and not from a deep understanding of the mysteries of God found in the Holy Scriptures. And so often the challenges today are not about living out Christ’s mysteries, but about power in the Church.
On the other hand, if we look at history, God often works through challenges such as these to transform His Church. We cannot just rule out such challenges as being the work of subversive people! Every one of these challenges is speaking to a human situation that the Church must address and seek to understand with compassion and charity—and embrace with Christ’s own love.
Perhaps one of the aspects of the Gospel that we most avoid speaking about today is what was called in the tradition redemptive suffering. There is a strong tendency to believe that no one should suffer. If we believe, as I do, in the teachings of the Church, then we must seek to understand those teachings and to explain them as a sign of God’s mercy—and surely we shall suffer in the process.
Recently there was a crash of an airplane in which all the passengers and crew died, except for one two year old child. Sometimes our own lives feel that way! We sense that we are alone in our way of thinking, that everyone else is different and yet we must be the person we are created to be. This young child will perhaps think when older: why was I spared? Why am I different?
This takes us to the heart of the mystery of being a prophet. A prophet cannot change God’s call. A prophet must proclaim what he or she believes that God has spoken—but also take the consequences. Perhaps that is why most of us are not very convincing prophets! We don’t want to accept the suffering that almost inevitably comes with speaking the truths that we understand. Most of us are much more comfortable belonging to a group of prophets! In a group we feel support and encouragement. But the groups of prophets in the Old Testament are rarely seen as true prophets. Instead, they are a symbol of what it means to institutionalize religion. They speak with a common voice and not the voice of the Lord.
Do we hear Christ asking us to preach His word today? The more we listen to His word faithfully and allow it to transform our lives, the more we must proclaim Him. The proclamation is generally a simple matter of living His truth in our lives and being will to speak to others about why we live the way we do. Most pulpit preaching is much more institutional than that! This is not about an ordained minister preaching, it is about our living our Christian faith and speaking honestly about it.
As the Letter to the Ephesians says: we have been chosen, we have been redeemed by His blood and our transgressions have been forgiven! We must live for the praise of His glory. Today’s readings invite to think deeply about our faith and to begin to live that faith fearlessly. Let us ask for that grace!