Be a Disciple and an Apostle

 

July 12^th  2015Sunday Homily: Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI

Amos 7:12-15, Eph 1:3-14, Mk 6:7-13

For Readings

http://www.usccb.org/nab/071215.shtml

According to a CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) survey report, 74% of Catholics in the USA were regularly attending Sunday Mass in 1958. Decline in regular Mass attendance in the USA started from 1960. Between the years 2000 and 2004 it remained more or less unchanged with 40% attendance. This survey results tell the sad reality that  60% of our catholic brothers and sisters are remaining away from regular Church practices. Now, let me share an experience which I had in 2012, while I was travelling in New York city. One fine evening, I hired a taxi from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Once I got in and the taxi driver started driving, he started to talk about Jesus and the Bible. He didn’t ask me anything about my faith or religion. He started to tell about the good things he experienced in his faith life, and how committed he wants to be as a Christian believer. He asked me to read the Bible, if I haven’t, as it has so many inspiring messages for life. Though, he didn’t allow me to speak any thing, I felt really proud of his faith and the zeal. Likewise, I have seen many young adults and adults, who brought many of their peer group friends back to the Sunday Masses, by their own good examples and invitations. Is it not something great in today’s world? Yes, it is an example of becoming a missionary in our own living situations.

Today’s readings remind us of our Divine Adoption as God's children and of our call to be a missionary. As a missionary, our role is to preach the good news of Jesus by bearing witness to God’s love, mercy and salvation as revealed through Jesus in our living situations.  Just like the Prophet Amos, each one of us is chosen by God to become missionaries to preach the “good news” by Christian witnessing.   Sufferings were a part of a prophet's life. They were made to suffer and were silenced. Jesus is the one who suffered the most. In the second reading, St. Paul explains the blessings we have received by our baptism and the responsibility we have to become missionaries.  Christians have to love, help and respect one another and thus proclaim Jesus by the witnessing of our lives.  In today’s gospel, Jesus commissions His twelve apostles to preach the “good news” of repentance, forgiveness of sins, liberation and salvation through Jesus.  Just as God sent the prophets, Jesus sent forth his followers to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom and to bring healing to those who need it most.

Jesus suffered persecution throughout His public ministry, but, instead of getting discouraged, Jesus with his disciples walked around proclaiming the Kingdom of God and delivered people from different kinds of bonds and sufferings. Jesus was always engaged with His father’s will. Many times He sent his disciples ahead of him to various places to announce his coming and to preach the good news of salvation.  He instructed them that his disciples must be concerned with "giving" rather than “receiving."  He instructed them to be the walking examples of trust in God and God’s love and providence. 

We have two roles as disciples and Apostles. Jesus invites us to recognize that the love and care of our heavenly Father for us are more important than any of the created things in this world. Amidst all the distractions of this fast moving world, the means for peace is to keep our eyes focused on God. Unless we have a disposition to receive peace, a disposition of a disciple, peace won’t enter our heart as Jesus says. An Apostle’s role is not to insist peace but to share with them the peace one is having in Christ.  Peace of God is always active and liberating. For this, today we see a leading example in our holy Father Pope Francis.

Joining with Jesus in His mission, we too have a liberating role. Although many people don’t believe in real demonic possession in our age, there are many demons, which can control the lives of people around us making them helpless slaves.  For example there is the demon of nicotine, the demon of alcohol, the demon of gambling, the demon of pornography and promiscuous sex, demon of materialism, consumerism, utilitarianism or any other activity which somehow can take control of people’s lives and become an addiction over, which they have lost control.  If we are addicted to any of them, we need liberation and freedom from bondage. Also as a disciple and apostle, we have a role to make sure that our neighbor is aware of the freedom and liberation that Jesus gives.  Let us find real peace in Christ, experiencing the freedom and liberation that Jesus gives, and preparing and keeping a disposition in us, worthy of ‘Peace of Christ’. Let us enjoy our daily life as we are called to be lifted up in Christ, the source of peace and joy.   God bless you.