15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B); July 14, 2024

Am 7:12-15.  Ps 85.  Eph 1:3-15.  Mk 6:7-13

Deacon Jim McFadden

       When medical students graduate, they just don’t’ start practicing medicine, but they’ve got to go through a rigorous internship in which they get to practice the knowledge they acquired in medical school and apply that knowledge in real-life situations.  Something similar to this is happening in today’s gospel according to Mark.   After calling each of them by name “to be with him,” listening to his words and observing how he went about healing others, he now calls them again to “send them out two by two” (Mk 6:7) to the villages he was going to visit.  Going through a period of “internship,” the apostles are being trained to continue the Lord’s mission, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

            The Apostles and those who follow their example, the baptized, will have a certain missionary style that is unique to Christianity.  It can be summed up into two key points: the mission has a center; the mission has a face.

            The center of gravity of Christian evangelization is Jesus himself.  The gospel account makes it very clear who is directing the endeavor.  We hear that “He called to him;” “he gave them authority;” “he charged them;” “he said to them” (cf. vs 7,8,10).  The Twelve are not going forth willy-nilly, making it up as they go along, but they do so purposefully as they radiate from their center, the Lord Jesus, Who is present to them and is at work within them in their missionary actions.  The Apostles are not striving to draw attention to themselves; left to themselves they have nothing to proclaim other than the Good News of Jesus.  Nor are they showing off oratorical skills but rather they simply and boldly speak  on behalf of Jesus as they serve as messengers of Jesus.  Their work is simply straightforward as it is not about themselves, but is about the Lord’s mission.  They simply have to show up and respond to the call to be a missionary disciple.

            Lest one think that this responsibility only applies to the Apostles and their successors (bishops), all baptized people are called to witness to the Gospel and continue the mission of Christ Jesus because we are members of his mystical Body, the Church.  And, for us too in 2024, our mission will only be authentic insofar as it is grounded in our unchanging center who is Jesus.  This missionary endeavor is not a result of our initiative, nor is it the result of a collective effort; rather, the mission of the Church is inseparable from the mission of Christ.  Jesus takes the initiative; He empowers us to do his work through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We don’t proclaim the Gospel on our own, but were sent by the Church to go into the world to proclaim the Good News; we get our mandate from Jesus himself, not ourselves.  Brothers and sisters, it is baptism, in which we are initiated into Jesus’ very being, that makes us missionaries.  A baptized Christian who feels no need  to proclaim the Gospel, is a fraudulent Christian.

            The second characteristic of a missionary style  is that there is a face which sets the tone for the evangelical work.  The Twelve will go about their mission following the lifestyle of Jesus.  So, they’re ordered to “take nothing for the journey but  a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts” (v. 8).  Now, while we don’t want to take this prescription literally—can you imagine a missionary priest or sister trying to get on an airplane without a ticket?—Jesus wants us to be free and unhampered, without reserves or expectations, but simply going forth certain of the love of the One who sends them.  That’s enough.   And, when Jesus sends them forth, they are strengthened by his Word which they go to proclaim.  His words are compelling because Jesus is Truth itself.  So, the Apostles go forth with a great deal of confidence, not in themselves, but in the one Who sent and sustains them through the Holy Spirit.  They weren’t celebrities or the ancient equivalent of rock-stars, but they were simply humble workers of the Kingdom of God who were trying to bring the face of Jesus to others.  And, it is the face of Jesus that goes with the message.  If you listen to the Good News, you will encounter Jesus, which begins the process of falling in love with him. 

            The poverty of the Apostles also brings with it a certain detachment because not everybody is going to listen to the Good News, but will resist it.  The Apostles didn’t reach everyone; many turned their backs; so, they had to deal with failure.  But, that’s okay because Jesus himself experienced  rejection and, indeed, crucifixion, which anticipates the destiny of the messenger.  If one is not grounded in Christ, one will not be able to process rejection or failure because they’ll take it personally.  Jesus did die, but he also rose, which gives us the courage to carry on.  St. Theresa of Calcutta once said, “God does not expect perfection, but only faith.”

            May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first disciple and missionary of the Word of God, help us to convey to the world the message of the Gospel in a humble and joyful way, beyond any rejection, misunderstanding, or failure.  Amen. 

Reflection Questions

1. By virtue of your baptism, do you view yourself as a missionary disciple?
2. Is Jesus the center of gravity of your life, Who animates your very being?
3. As you proclaim the Good News in your ordinary experience, how do you process rejection and failure?