Sunday 20th October
2019. Read Ex. 17:8-13, Ps. 121, 2Tim.3:14-4:2 & Lk 18:1-18 OR Zechariah 8:20-23, Psalm 19, Romans 10:9-8 and
Mark 16:15-20)_
_“Preach the
word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be
unfailing in patience and in teaching.” *(2 Timothy 4:2)*_
Today is
quite a unique Sunday because it is the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
year C but it also happens to be the 2019 World Mission Sunday. As such, even
though we shall reflect on the readings in the bulletin, our reflection shall
be within the context of our celebration of the World Mission Sunday. Coincidentally,
in our second reading today, St. Paul writing to Timothy succinctly summarizes
the whole message of the World Mission Sunday when he says we much preach the
word of God in season and out of season.
1. To
Believe is to Trust and Obey God.
Last
Sunday, from the example of Naaman and the Ten Lepers who were cured by Jesus, we
learnt that Faith demands total trust and obedience to God’s instructions. It
is not enough to say “I believe” if like ten lepers I refuse to go and show
myself to the priest. Naaman complained about Elisha’s instruction to bathe in
the river but thanks to the little maid who spoke sense to him.
As we
celebrate World Mission Sunday today, we are called to act like that little
maid speaking sense to those who complain about the difficulty of keeping God’s
commandments and those who have buried their heads in sin. When we speak about the
missions, we tend to think of ordained priests and religious travelling to
distant places to preach but in truth, all of us, so long as we interact with other
human beings daily are called to preach. Mark tells us that open obedience to
this universal call of Jesus, great miracles happened because “the Lord worked
with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.” (Mark
16:15-20). Naaman’s cure is an example of what we can do for people when we
decide to spread the word of God.
2. To
Believe is to Never Give Up on God.
Today, we
are shown another dimension of Faith from the parable of the widow and the
unjust judge: PERSISTENCE. Jesus ends this parable by saying: “And will not God
vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over
them? I tell you. He will vindicate them speedily.” (Luke 18:7-8). Faith
demands obedience to God; it also demands persistence; the deliberate refusal
to give up on God. As Luke says, Jesus taught this parable “to the effect that
they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1). There are times we
pray so hard only to hear a very loud “No” from God. Instead of what we asked
for, we see the very opposite. Jesus is teaching us today that even when we get
a “No” we should still go back and ask for the same thing and continue asking
until we hear a “Yes.” Do not lose heart on God.
We can
apply this lesson to the mission. Just as faith demands persistent asking,
converting souls for Christ demands persistent evangelization. Marketers understand
this principle very well. They know that they are not likely to get a “No” after
the first few encounters with a client but they never stop coming back. They keep
asking until the client changes his/her mind and offers to give their product
or company a test. Too often, the client becomes hooked for life. If we give up
on preaching to people, we lose them forever. St. Paul asks: “How are they to
hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? … How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Romans 10:13-14).
3. To
Believe is to Keep the Hand of Prayer Raised.
Our first
reading today from the book of Exodus reminds us of the battle of Israel with
the Amalekites at Rephidim. Unlike other nations that tried to hinder the Israelites
on their way to possess the Promised Land, the Amalekites proved very tough and
stubborn. No matter how experienced and strong the Israelite soldiers were, the
Amalekites seemed unsurmountable. However, so long as the hand of Moses
remained raised in prayer, victory was sure for Israel. This teaches us the
importance of prayer in anything we do in life.
Always
remember that your success is not by your power, not your intelligence, your
money or connection but by the GRACE OF GOD. The fact that things are going smoothly
for you does not mean you should relax your prayer life. It always surprises me
that people are willing to do all-night-prayer asking for a visa, the fruit of
the womb, job opportunity etc. but no one does all-night-prayer of thanksgiving
to God. We tend to drop our hands when our prayers are heard, we stop coming to
church, we sink into immorality, we throw caution to the wind and this is when
the Amalekites in our lives begin to pick up strength again. When the Israelites
discovered what was happening, they had to support Moses’ hand permanently for
the rest of the day. Prayer demands persistence but it also requires consistency.
Never stop praying.
As people
sent on the mission, we are to apply the principle of persistence in preaching
to souls but unlike marketers, we must add another element: consistent prayers
for the conversion of hardened hearts (the Amalekite ones). The truth is that no
matter how eloquent and convincing we are, without the Holy Spirit working in
the hearts of men and women, our preaching will be fruitless. Secondly, we
never know what we are going to face when we set out to preach. Satan recognizes
prayer warriors. When the disciples could not cast out a demon, they shamefully
asked Jesus why they got disgraced and in response, Jesus said: “This kind
cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:29). Preaching to others
begins with an active prayer life lest the hunter becomes the hunted.
4. Go Forth,
the Mass is Ended.
As we
celebrate World Mission Sunday today, it is important to remind us again of the
meaning of the words we hear at the end of each mass every day. Unlike any other
church on earth, the Catholic Church always ends the mass with a command to “Go…”
This does not simply mean “leave the church.” It means: “Go and preach, go and
tell about Christ on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere, go and
announce the Gospel by your life, go and proclaim the Good News, go and evangelize.”
Every time we attend Mass, we are sent on a mission. Even though today is world
mission Sunday, the truth is that for the Catholic Church, every single day is
a mission day. As Monsignor J. K. Aniagwu noted: “The Church of Christ cannot
be other than missionary, always responding to the mandate that she received
from her Divine Founder.” (P.M.S. Pamphlet).
Dear
friends, we must begin to ask ourselves how well we have been performing this
assignment we are given at every Mass we attend. Between the last mass you
attended and this one, how many souls did you minister to? How many people did
you preach? If the most honest answer is none, it means we failed to grasp the
full impact of that mass we attend. As you hear God’s word at mass, make sure you
repeat what you have heard to someone. As soon as the mass ends, tell someone
what you have learnt. Preach the Gospel. It is the essence of our Christian
life. Preach, not just with words but with your exemplary life. Leave no one
out, preach to all and to the whole creation.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, the Psalmist sings: our help comes from you. Teach me to revive
my prayer life, deepen my faith and use me to as your instrument to carry your Word
to all the world. Amen.
*Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (World Mission
Sunday, Year C. Bible Study: Zechariah 8:20-23, Psalm 19, Romans 10:9-8 and Mark
16:15-20).*
Fr. Abu
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