Homily for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) July 15, 2012

In the first reading, the Amos was sent to prophesy to the people of Israel. The Gospel gives an account of Jesus sending out the Twelve. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians also speaks of being sent. All these 3 readings lend themselves to this Sundays theme: The Missionary Church. The apostles are examples to us, even today, of the Missionary Church. We are the Missionary Church. Jesus sent out the Apostles and the sending has never stopped. He sends us today. As is mentioned in today's Gospel, we are called not just to bring others to baptism, but to minister to their physical side as well. The Gospel talks about the curing of the sick. Some are called to lead others to baptism, others are called to bring about physical healing in them. Parents are called to lead our families to the Gospel and to keep them physically healthy as well. Sometimes, God makes it clear what he wants us to do. He responds to those who are open to Him. Amos was tending his sheep and God told him to "go and prophesy to my people Israel." This implies that Amos was open and a friend of the Lord's. His knowledge came from a personal relationship with God. In the case of the Apostles, we hear that Jesus "sent them out two by two" to preach the Gospel. The apostles came from various backgrounds: tax collectors, a fishermen, and a zealot. What did they have in common? They were called by Jesus and they had spent the last three years learning about God from Jesus. To be called by God, we need to be open to the call. How do we prepare ourselves; how can we open ourselves to being called? Prayer is the answer. Prayer is talking to the Lord and listening for answers. When we start hearing answers we are opening to the Lord. When we start to accept the Lord's calling there are some graces like a warm

feeling that we get from doing a job that we think the Lord wants. Other times, we feel called to repay for the goodness we have received or have the need to right some wrong that we see in the world. All these are good ways to get started, but only a personal relationship with God will sustains us: an active prayer life. We aren't always qualified when we answer the call, but the Lord has a way of working that out, just as he did with the apostles. When we start we find parts of our calling that just don't seem to work. That is when we pray for guidance and try to follow where the Lord is leading us. It is difficult to give to others what we don't yet have ourselves. I am reminded of a story about a troubled mother who had a daughter who was addicted to sweets. One day she approached Gandhi, explained the problem to him and asked whether he might talk to the young girl. Gandhi replied: "Bring your daughter to me in three weeks time and I will speak to her." After three weeks, the mother brought her daughter to him. He took the young girl aside and spoke to her about the harmful effects of eating sweets excessively and urged her to abandon her bad habit. The mother thanked Gandhi for this advice and then asked him: "But why didn't you speak to her three weeks ago?" Gandhi replied: "Because three weeks ago, I was still addicted to sweets." We are called. Rarely are we sure of all the details. With trust in the Lord who knows all things, we can have confidence that He who chose us before the foundation of the world, has a plan. With prayer, we can discover His plan, develop it and at the same time grow in our relationship with God.