Heroes in many stories are usually the strongest, the smartest, or the most beautiful people who conquer evil by overpowering it in some way. Even if the heroes don’t start out that way, a crucial part of the story usually consists of the hero getting stronger and preparing for battle. They know that everything is up to them.

While these stories can be inspiring, they often miss an important truth: that in order to succeed, we need to rely on God. We grow up believing that we have to be strong and be the best in order to do well. Often we bring these beliefs into our relationship with Christ.

But this is actually contrary to the Gospel. We don’t have to earn God’s love, and we don’t have to earn his call! God calls each of us, no matter how ill equipped or unprepared we are. He has destined us to follow him. And he mysteriously works through our weaknesses as well as our strengths to accomplish his good plan.
 

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First Reading Reflection

Amos said, "The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people" (Amos 7:12-15)

The Prophet Amos came from the land of Judah, in the Southern Kingdom. He prophesied in the Northern Kingdom, warning them of judgment for failures in justice while living in luxury.

He was not well-received. In this reading we find him being driven off from a main temple in the Northern Kingdom. His words are deemed an affront to the “king’s sanctuary.” He is told to go and “earn his bread” by prophesying back in Judah, suggesting that his gift of prophecy is not divine, but a way to make money. Amos replies that he is not a prophet by trade, but a shepherd and a “dresser of sycamores,” an agricultural job that helps the tree produce sweeter fruit. His vocation to prophesy is not his own idea; it comes directly from God.

Amos foreshadows Christ, who surprised so many when he began his public ministry. Like Amos, Christ also meets rejection and derision. Amos’s agricultural profession likewise prefigures Christ’s role as the Good Shepherd and the Vine whose branches are to bear fruit, albeit with pruning (see John 15:2). Amos also foreshadows the Christian vocation. We are all in some way asked to leave our chosen pursuits in response to God’s call. We may not see the fruits of our obedience immediately, but through faith in God, we will achieve great good.

 

Second Reading Reflection

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3-14 [3-10])

The beautiful prayer of praise that opens Ephesians is a very rich text, and there are many ways to approach it in prayer. In keeping with this week’s theme, we will look at the phrases that tell the purpose of God’s loving election. First, we see that we were chosen to be “holy and without blemish before him.” This language is used for precious liturgical offerings. Thus, men are meant to be part of the sacrificial worship of God. Later, we find repeated the idea that we exist “for the praise” of God’s glory in Christ.

What does it mean to exist for God’s glory? We must first look to Christ, who is the refulgence of God’s glory. In him we find obedience and trust. St. John’s Gospel shows that the hour of glory for Jesus is his Passion—the ultimate statement of love and trusting obedience in union with the will of the Father.

In our daily walk, our praise of God’s glory should take the form of trust and gratitude in all circumstances. A heart at peace in the storm truly glorifies God. This attitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who is “the first installment of our inheritance” as sons of God. Even as we glorify God through our sufferings, our life of praise looks forward to the “fullness of times” when everything will be recapitulated, or summed up, in Christ.

 

Gospel Reflection

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two (Mark 6:7-13)

The Twelve have seen Jesus calm the storm and cast out demons, and they have seen him be rejected by his long-time neighbors. Now he deems them ready to imitate their Master’s work.

He sends them “two by two” and also gives them “authority over unclean spirits.” The Twelve are not independent operators, but members of Christ’s team. In this, we see that the life and strength of the Mystical Body are essential to the mission of the Gospel. In addition, the Apostles are given only what they absolutely need— they must rely on God for the rest.

Christ tells the disciples, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave,” and if they are not well-received, to “leave there and shake the dust off your feet.” Christ’s directions reveal two aspects of preaching the Gospel: disciples of Christ must focus on the task in hand, and they must keep moving forward despite rejection.

Following their Master’s orders, the Twelve go and preach repentance, drive out demons, and heal the sick. By acting on Christ’s call and relying on him, they are empowered to do mighty deeds. We are called to do the same.

 

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DIGGING DEEPER:
Universal Call to Holiness

One of the great messages of Vatican II was the “Universal Call to Holiness.” In the document Lumen Gentium, the Church teaches us that, “all the faithful of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state. Indeed they have an obligation to so strive.” This means that holiness is not just for priests, religious, or missionaries. Every person is destined for sanctity and is called to build the Kingdom of God. God has a plan for each of us to participate in his saving work. Encourage participants to ponder this over the week and maybe even to read and pray through Lumen Gentium.

PRAYER:

Let’s return to the Gospel for this week. Put yourself into this moment when Jesus is sending out his disciples two by two. Imagine what it must have felt like to be given nothing for the journey except Jesus’s authority. The Apostles would have been constantly aware of how much they depended on God for everything.

Take a word that comes to mind and refl ect on what it means to you personally. For example, the phrase, “take nothing for the journey” might have stuck out to you. Ask yourself what this means in your own life. Is the Lord encouraging you that no matter how much you have in property, skills, power, etc., he will always be with you and work through you? Call to mind the places you fear that you have too little to off er and ask the Lord to show you how he desires to work through you .

Take some time to refl ect on the power of Christ’s healing and step out in faith, asking him to heal you today. © Augustine Institute.

 

RESOLUTION: 

To truly be able to live in our lowliness and let God be our strength, we have to form the habit of asking for forgiveness and off ering it. Living with mercy is the key to this outlook on life. In a message for the World Day of Peace, Pope St. John Paul II said that, “Certainly, forgiveness does not come spontaneously or naturally to people. Forgiving from the heart can sometimes be actually heroic.”

This week how can you work towards this kind of heroism? How does living a life of forgiveness (and asking for it) help us to remain lowly and humble?
 

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Reprinted from  Opening the Word at Formed.org .
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