In this weekend’s gospel, Jesus sends the twelve apostles out with a mandate to preach the gospel. Among other instructions, Jesus says 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.” This is two-sided: a sense of welcome, but also a certain level of opposition or rejection. Jesus asks the disciples to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick. That way, they are detached from things that will encumber them. They are to proclaim the message and to minister to the people as desired by God.
The message from the first reading generates a similar concern for the prophet Amos. Why would Amaziah ban Amos from preaching in Bethel? The answer is found in the verses preceding today’s reading: “Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you within the House of Israel. The land cannot endure the things he is saying. For Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall be exiled from its soil.” (Amos 7:10-11) Rejection and antagonism are common experiences in the Old Testament. Prophets are persecuted for preaching the truth. In the New Testament, Jesus warns the disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(Jn. 16:33) The reason can be explained by an Igbo proverb that says, “An old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned,” meaning, that people do not feel comfortable when things that hit too close to home are being discussed. Yet, Christ insists, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32)
It is possible to experience religious oppositions and to be antagonized in our time. For instance, some priests have been condemned in certain places for standing up/speaking out against evil and injustice. Some lay persons receive threats because of efforts to speak about their faith. Some are banned from displaying faith objects or from wearing religious objects that portray them as believers at their workplaces. There are believers who face sanction and would not discuss faith related matters right in their homes. Some schools and common places go as far as eliminating anything that depicts faith or religion on campus, thereby making it hard for believers to express such. As in the readings of this weekend, “Like Amos’ experience, like in our time.” Jesus instructed his disciples to realize that opposition to one’s faith would happen. His words, “Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”
As seminarians, we would be sent out by the diocese on a six-weeks apostolic work. During this period, we lived among the people in the community and not in the parish. A part of what we did was to visit homes in the community where we lived. While majority of those homes were Catholic, a few were not. In those times, too, few individuals were unbelievers, some of whom idol worshippers and traditionalists. I had personal experiences where I was rejected just on sight. Some non-believers would outrightly ask us to turn back and not get into their compound. They would scold us, just on seeing a seminarian wearing the cassock, because they knew we were coming to preach to them. A few would welcome us at first, but then the discussion would change once the topic of faith was raised. A few others were really furious at us, to the point of cursing us out. In the words of Christ, we would turn back and shake the dust off our feet. But at least, we tried. These experiences still happen.
Being humans, the disciples of Jesus could have been worried at first, and rightly so, especially, on hearing that they would be targets while on mission. But how they felt and what they thought about such experiences did not matter. Jesus commanded them to stay focused, stay smart, and stay faithful to be true disciples and ministers of truth. The gospel message is God’s word and not ours. The Truth is Christ himself and not our truth. Witnessing is our mission, but whether it is received or not is beyond our control.
When God calls us or sends us out, we exhibit a certain level of trepidation and concern. We worry about our environment, about how people would feel, and about the acceptability of the message. That is normal. The disciples felt the same. Yet, they went out and preached. Most of them were killed in the process, yet the gospel lives on. We are called to be like the disciples today.
· Have faith in God the Father who is sending us out. The ministry is God’s. He will not forsake His messengers.
· Have faith in Jesus. Focus on his promises, “I will be with you till the end of time.” Do not focus on what you lack. Jesus would never abandon you.
· Have faith in the Holy Spirit, the principal agent of mission. The Lord of the harvest knows how to water His garden. Plant the seed and be hopeful. It will yield its fruits at the right time.
During those days, as seminarians, some of those people who attacked and rebelled against us later converted and became Christians. Things did not happen instantly. But the tiny drops from God’s word were germinating bit by bit in their souls. Like Saint Paul said, God has destined everything “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.” What is your experience of discipleship? Maybe God is sending you, not to a distant place, but to the precincts of your home, your parish, neighborhood, or workplace. May the Lord of the harvest be with you.
Readings: 1st- Amos 7:12-15; 2nd- Eph. 1:3-10; Gospel- Mk. 6:7-13
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