Gospel Refection for the Fifteenth Sunday of the Year

15th. July – Called and Sent by God…

There are many ‘Prophets’ that we hear about when read parts of the Old Testament. We are familiar with prophets such Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Miriam, the sister of Moses is also named as prophet of the Lord, as is Deborah. In the gospel of Luke, the elderly woman Anna is named as a prophet. These men and woman never volunteered or asked to be prophets; they were all called and chosen personally by God. Prophets were not fortune tellers; they didn’t predict the future. In fact they did the very opposite; they reminded people of their past. They reminded the people that God had made a sacred contract, a covenant with them. They would be his people and he would be their God. They were to treat each other with fairness, dignity, justice and respect. However, over time, they began to lead their daily lives in very opposite ways. They were not just, decent or honest with each other and they treated the poor with contempt. The prophets came and remined them of the God’s covenant with them and challenged the way they were living. They were neither liked or accepted because they asked people to change their ways and how they were treating the poor.

In the first reading this Sunday, the people are trying to run the Prophet Amos out of their town. They don’t want to hear his message. Amos replies that he was just a shepherd when the Lord chose him to be a Prophet. It wasn’t his idea! He was called and sent by God!

In the gospel this Sunday, Jesus calls and sends out his own disciples and followers to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Like Amos, they didn’t volunteer either; Jesus said to them, ‘you did not choose  me, no I chose you.’ Jesus is not an romantic idealist. He prepares and warns them that they will not be welcomed and accepted everywhere they go. Like the Prophets before them, the disciples are going to be rejected and ignored.

Jesus never said that being his disciples was ever going to be easy. It takes faith, courage and convictions to follow Jesus. If we accept his invitation to follow him and to live by his values, we will be going against the values of the world around us. When the world says take, Jesus says give and share. When the world says be strong and powerful, Jesus says serve and be humble. Often when the world says hit back, Jesus says offer the hand of peace and reconciliation.

Each of us is called to be a credible and courageous follower of Jesus. Each of us is called by God to be the visible and vocal presence of Jesus in our families, our community and in the world today.

God called and sent Amos and all the prophets; Jesus called and sent out his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Today, the same Jesus calls each of us by our name to do the same. You and I are called to be God Prophet in and for our world today.

Michael Moore OMI