Sent Forth to Bring the King’s Message and Mercy

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 12, 2015

A disciple is a follower or student of a teacher, leader or philosopher; whereas an apostle is someone who is sent forth to deliver a message. Simply and differently put, a disciple is a learner, whereas an apostle is a graduate who’s ready to get a job done. Jesus’ disciples have received enough training and apprenticeship. They have been taught enough and were ready to be sent forth in twos to do what they had seen him do. The period of tutorship was over. Graduation celebration was over too. Standing beside Jesus and watching him do all the talking was over as well. Like the mother bird, the Lord completed teaching them how to fly on their own. But in this case, the disciples were not being sent out to hunt for food, but to hunt for the lost sheep and to guide them safely back home. After giving them authority to expel evil spirits and render them powerless, Jesus instructed them, “to take nothing for the journey, but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” That meant they should trust God for their provision. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus puts it clearer: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Jesus did not want them to be distracted by material things. Their focus should’ve been on the message—God’s kingdom is at hand. But if people didn’t like the message, they should move on. 

With the travel instructions stated, ‘job’ description and code of ethics read out, the newly graduated students of the Lord, “went off and preached repentance.” Their preaching was not invented by them. They did not create their own message. They brought a message. They did not proclaim their personal opinions. It wasn’t their personal theologies that they brought to the people; it was God’s eternal truth. They simply sounded the message Jesus had told them. They did not make themselves the focal point of attention. They knew they were only messengers and not the message. And the message they brought to the people of God was, “Repent!” 

Whenever we hear the word “repent” in church, we feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Why? Because we are being asked to relinquish, abandon, and set aside what we are used to and what we may be comfortable with. To repent involves a change of mind and actions. Repentance means a change of heart and behavior. This change certainly brings some sort of hurt or disturbance to us, because of the painful realization that the way we have been living is wrong. When we get so comfortable with doing something, we hardly want to jettison it. When a certain way of life fits our philosophy of life, we do not want to let it go. If the way we treat others makes sense to us, we do not want to be told to change from it. Any call for a radical change of life, oftentimes disturbs us because it involves letting go of what we have and what we have been doing. It also involves embracing a new life—a complete turnaround. If you are wondering why repentance is hard and why few people heed to it, those are the reasons.  It is a religious call that invites us to place on the scale of eternal life, all of our thoughts, habits, character, and attitude towards God, life and others, and then weigh them. When we realize, all of a sudden, that their weight does not surpass a featherweight, it disturbs us. Repentance is hard because change is hard. But if we truly want to spend eternity with the good God, that’s the only path to tread. 

There are regular church-going folks who arrogantly or ignorantly claim that their lives are “perfect”—that they have nothing to change about themselves or repent from. They often say to themselves: “I say my daily prayers, go to Mass, give money to church, and sometimes give a sandwich or a dollar to a hungry man on the street. I live by myself. I am too old. What sin can I possibly commit?” But repentance or change is not always from robbery, theft, murder, lies, immorality and obvious and conspicuous sins. Anyone who is selfish needs to change. If you are ungrateful, you need to change. Are you inconsiderate? You need to repent from it. Are you always complaining? Can nothing or anyone please you? You need to repent! Are you always looking at others with suspicion—not trusting anyone, even in the house of God? You need to repent. Are you one of those who come to church but hardly volunteer to help out? Then you need to embrace change. This change must move us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. It must move us from the “I” to “us” and “we.” 

The Apostles of Jesus did not only preach repentance, they also brought the most beautiful message: God is merciful! (Luke 6:36). God’s mercy is God’s healing balm on the wounds of humanity. No human person is completely and thoroughly whole and healthy. As such, we all need God’s mercy. But we must ask for it. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it shall be given to you…” Never assume that you are morally and spiritually spotless, with no blemish or wrinkle. Romans 3:23 has already given its verdict: “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” 1 John 1:10 declares even further: “If we claim that we have not sinned, then we are calling God a liar, and his word is not in us.” But our sinful condition is not going to be our ultimate destiny. We serve an awesome God who is good and merciful. Psalm 145:8 tells us that, “The Lord is full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and rich in unfailing love.” 

Embrace change and embrace God’s mercy!