Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

You Are Also Involved!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday July 3, 2016

The Twelve Apostles were always with Jesus, accompanying him wherever he went. Apart from a few occasions when he was accompanied by Peter, James and John, the Twelve were mostly with him as he moved around preaching, teaching, healing, and liberating those held hostage by the spirits of demons. They were in the boat with Jesus when he calmed the raging sea (Mark 4:34-44). They were with him when he cured the Ten Lepers exiled and ex-communicated from their communities, families and friends (Luke 17:11-19). The Apostles were with him when he spoke the words “Talitha koum!” which means “little girl, I say to you, get up.” They were there and saw the joy, the excitement and the gratitude on the glowing face of Jairus as he witnessed the “second life” of his daughter (Mark 5:35-43). They were with Jesus when the blind Bartimaeus had his sight restored (Luke 18: 35-43). They also witnessed the miracle of the second life of Lazarus (John 11:1-43). When Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed the multitudes, they were with him. These events surely changed their lives. They never remained the same again after witnessing these great events. They heard Jesus preach the most beautiful message “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16). And at some point in his ministry, the Twelve were also sent out two by two with authority to preach and cast out evil spirits (Mark 6:7). Mark 6:12 tells us that in total obedience to Jesus, they went out and preached to people to repent. They also drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.  

In today’s gospel (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20), Jesus sends out 72 others who also had witnessed and experienced God’s redeeming love. Like the Twelve, they also had heard the life-changing message of Jesus and had been convinced that he is the Savior of humanity. The Twelve Apostles were the Early Church leaders. The leaders of the Church today are the Pope and his fellow Bishops. (the priests, deacons, and all the religious men and women only assist the Church’s leaders in carrying out the mission of the Church, which is essentially speaking the mission of the Jesus Christ). Now, it is not wrong to suggest that the 72 represent the lay faithful. This means that the task of spreading and witnessing the Good News of Jesus Christ is not an exclusive duty for the ordained and the professed alone. All God’s people are called to “spread abroad a living witness to him, especially by a life of faith and love and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips praising his name” (Lumen Gentium, 12). By the virtue of our baptism, all Christians, not just the ordained and the professed, but also the lay faithful of God are the “People of God” and each person in his or her own way is called to join in the spreading of the message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

While sending out the 72, Jesus gave the following injunctions: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” which means travel light and don’t be bogged down by material things. It is easy to get ensnared and enslaved by the things of this life. Simplicity of life does attract the attention and admiration of all. Simplicity will enable the bringer of good news to be concerned, primarily about the mission. Traveling light also means trusting in the providence of God for daily needs. He also tells them to “greet no one along the way.” This is not an instruction to ignore and snub people. It is not an instruction to discourtesy. It’s rather an instruction on the seriousness of the mission. In carrying out the mission of God, we must not turn aside or linger on the lesser things while the great things call. These instructions speak volume of the urgency of the task. We should express our Christian faith, let others know about our faith in Jesus Christ. But in doing that, we must guard against betraying our faith in Jesus by the type of life we live. Christianity is not just a religion, it is a way of life. It is a culture.

The 72 returned with joy because they did what Jesus ask them to do. Joy is one treasure that those who join in the mission of Jesus will never lack. Rejoicing with his disciples, Jesus cautioned them against pride and arrogance. He urged them to rejoice not because of what they have accomplished but because their names are written in heaven. The greatest glory of a Christian is not what he/she has done but what God has done for him/her and through him/her. As we go about doing the very task and assignment given to us by the Lord, let us always remember that the most effective way of doing it is by embracing the rare virtues of humility and simplicity. Preachers of the Christian message who enrich themselves inordinately and emphasize so much on material prosperity are clearly “carrying too many bags, too many sacks, and lots of sandals.” And instead of preaching that the “Kingdom of God is close at hand” they are busy seeking out rich people and showering encomiums  on them when the gospel says “Greet no one along the way.” As disciples of Jesus, one of the major assignments from Lord is making disciples for him. The call to spread his message of life and love is not the sole duty of the ordained or professed, you are also involved. Therefore, let our witness of the gospel make Jesus say “I observed Satan fall like lightening from the sky.”