Homily for Sunday of the 15th week in Ordinary time year B July 14 2024

Homily for Sunday of the 15th week in Ordinary time year B July 14 2024

Amos: 7:12-15; Psalm 85; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:7-13

When embarking on a journey, people often strive to prepare for every possible scenario, leaving nothing to chance. Yet, they frequently return home having used only a fraction of what they brought, questioning the necessity of their extensive preparations. Conversely, some prefer to travel with only the essentials, confident that they can acquire any additional needs upon reaching their destination. In today's gospel reading, Jesus provides the twelve disciples with remarkably minimalist instructions for their journey. He advises them to take nothing except a staff for walking and sandals for their feet, emphasizing their reliance on God's provision and the hospitality of those they encounter. What relevance does this gospel reading hold for us today? We are all, in a sense, sent on a mission by the Lord, akin to Amos in the first reading and the twelve disciples in the gospel, though not in the same manner. We are called to share our faith with others, embodying a missionary dimension in our lives. For most, this does not entail traveling far from home, as Amos did when he was sent from his work as a shepherd and sycamore tree dresser to preach God's word in the north. Instead, we are called to be missionaries wherever we find ourselves. In the gospel, Jesus sends the twelve to bring his healing power to those they meet on their journey. We, too, demonstrate our role as the Lord's missionaries whenever we act as instruments of his healing presence in our daily lives. The Lord seeks to work through each of us to uplift, inspire, and strengthen those we encounter. The twelve were tasked with sharing what they had received from the Lord. Similarly, before we can be instruments of the Lord's sustaining and healing presence, we must first experience his presence in our own lives. The twelve spent time in Jesus' company, receiving his loving and life-giving presence before being sent out to share it. Likewise, we must learn to receive from the Lord before we can effectively share his mission. The Lord has much to offer, and we have much to receive. The Lord's mission to each of us is paramount. By welcoming his mission and allowing him to serve us, we become empowered to participate in his mission of service to others. The Lord works through us to bring healing and wholeness to others. The Lord serves us through prayer and through others. Perhaps he sent the twelve with minimal provisions to encourage them to receive from others as well as to give. They had a valuable treasure to share but also much to receive from those they were sent to. By traveling light, the disciples demonstrated their dependence on others and ultimately on God working through others. We are called to share in the Lord's mission to others and to open ourselves to his mission to us through others. We possess the treasure of faith to share, described in the second reading as "the richness of the grace which God has showered on us." Yet, others also have treasures to share with us. No one possesses all the richness of God's grace; it is distributed among us all. We have much to give and receive from each other through our relationships with the Lord. Jesus sent the twelve out in pairs, not individually, recognizing that a disciple's greatest asset is a co-disciple. We need each other's faith, witness, and gifts of the Spirit as we work for the Lord. Lord Jesus, as you send us out, help us to realize our need for one another, the community of believers, to fully share in your mission in the world.