The reflections for Sundays and Solemnities is an activity of Society of St Paul, India
A Reflection by:
Fr David Mike MMI
St Anne's Parish, Bandra West,
Mumbai.
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Greetings of peace and joy to you.
My dear Missionary Friends in Jesus Christ,
BE DETACHED FROM………… AND BE ATTACHED TO SPIRITUAL GOODS!
The Mother Church celebrates the 15th Sunday of the ordinary liturgical calendar. In these ordinary times we are exhorted to live an extraordinary by imbibing the missionary spirit. The liturgy of the word on this 15th Sunday, taken from cycle B invites us, calls us to be Sent. Sent out to carry on the missionary activities begun by Jesus. TO PROCLAIM, TO HEAL AND TO BRING COMFORT.
In the first reading taken from prophet Amos, we see Amos who is from the southern part of Israel, being sent by God to preach the good news. Amos in his struggles confronts the mighty and the powerful and Amaziah. Amos was convinced that it is the Lord who wants him to preach in the northern kingdom despite several oppositions and challenges.
The gospel of today taken from Mark, explains the spirit and attitude of a Missionary. Jesus called the 12 and send them 2 by 2, giving them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff which is a symbol of leadership and authority. My dear friends what we are today as a vibrant and Faith filled church, which is missionary in character, is because of the Apostolic foundations. The apostles had minimal means and no Hi Tech as we have today. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and the fire to preach the good news. The apostles and the early Christian community proclaimed the good news with bear minimum facilities, yet they were powerful and effective because they put on the heart and mind of Jesus.
My dear friends, today we have everything, the super modern technology, the digital world, and the social media platform to proclaim the word of God through words and action. We have become smart and more intellectual than early Christian community of the first century. And yet we are not effective, faithful and fruit bearing like them. We lack the zeal, the passion and fire to be missionaries in the current world. We pray today to Jesus our Lord and Savior to bless us with the missionary qualities, to make Him know to the far ends of the earth beginning with our parish communities. We pray that we be enthused by the holy spirit to touch the lives of others and thus change the narrative of the present complexed selfish world into a community of love, peace, and joy in a spirt of synodality, journeying together and working together in building God’s kingdom here on earth.
HAPPY SUNDAY AND GOD BLESS US TO BE MISSIONARIES.
