Reading 1
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
Gospel
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Reflection
Whether we are weighing a big decision or just struggling to get out of bed in the morning, we can be tempted to think that we can’t serve the Lord in the way He is calling us. We are too busy, tired, and uneducated. We don’t have enough skill, holiness, or time. We think that, if only things were different, we could proclaim the Gospel like the Apostles and all the saints.
Our readings today shine a light on the lie of this way of thinking. Peter, James, and John were fisherman—they did not have a background in exorcisms. Matthew was a tax collector. Surely, he was not practiced in the preaching of repentance. The Twelve were a hodge-podge of sinful nobodies. Not only did Jesus call them to follow Him nonetheless, but He sent them forth, two by two, with no equipment at all. No food, no money, not even a second tunic. The Twelve accepted their mission with less than what we might consider the bare minimum, and yet they “drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” Jesus asks the Twelve to leave the logistics in the hands of God and to focus their attention on obeying His will. And it is their radical trust and obedience which permitted God to bring about their success.
Amos, in our first reading, denied that he was a prophet by trade. He did not “earn his bread” through eloquent speech, but rather, God plucked him from his quiet career of shepherding and gardening to send him forth. To proclaim the message of God is not something any of us qualify for—it is only a gift for us to accept.
Holiness is possible for everyone, no matter what, if only we trust that God is working on us and through us, not by our own abilities, but by His Grace. Let us ask Our Lord to help us open ourselves to all He wishes to do through us, to cease our excuses, and entrust our lives to Him.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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