15th Sunday Ordinary Time
SUNDAY REFLECTION
Our Scriptures today build upon the call to prophecy that was the theme of our Scriptures last week. Last Sunday’s Gospel described Jesus’ visit to his hometown Nazareth and his non-acceptance there. Today we read of his commissioning of his Apostles to share in his mission by going out in pairs. Perhaps he was conscious at this stage that he might not be around for a while because of the opposition he was arousing among his adversaries. At any rate he felt that they were ready to “have a trial run.” What is noticeable is that they are to go out with the bare essentials. They were to go out in pairs and not to carry food, money, or an extra tunic. They were to be totally reliant for their welfare on those who would receive them. He also gave them power over unclean spirits and the ability to anoint and heal the sick. If they were not accepted anywhere they were simply to move on.
Our first reading describes the challenge to Amos for his calling. He was a reluctant prophet. He did not belong to the “professional prophets;” he was a shepherd who had been called by God to proclaim a particular message. It wasn’t a popular message for he was speaking out about the injustices in their trading practices and their taking shortcuts in their religious observances in order to make more profits. There is this tradition among the prophets to speak out about the injustices in society and this has carried over into the New Testament and in the last 100 plus years into Catholic Social Teaching. Morality is not restricted to personal behaviour. Morality extends to the righting of injustices in society and now, especially since Pope Francis’ encyclical, to the exploitation of the earth’s resources.
The issue of poverty is probably what we are most uncomfortable with especially living as we do in a consumer society. It was St Francis of Assisi who attempted to live this Gospel literally, that is by having nothing and relying totally upon the generosity of those whom he served. But when his followers began to number in their hundreds and thousands he was forced to concede that they needed some structure and organisation. The more spiritually free we become the less we rely upon material things. But we live in an addictive society so there is this ongoing tension between acquiring and being satisfied with what we have. Matthew touches on it with his beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” There is both a spiritual and a material dimension to poverty. It is a balance between retaining what we need and letting go of what we don’t need and, to quote the serenity prayer, the wisdom to know the difference. Peter Murphy