15 Sunday, Year B
John F Kennedy famously said ‘If not us, then who; if not now, then when’ – This is an interpretation of a much older piece of wisdom from the Hebrew tradition. I think that if we were asked to distil down the message of toady’s gospel reading into a few short words, we would be hard pressed to find more suitable words than this phrase used by JFK and many others - If not us, then who; if not now, then when.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends out the 12 disciples – he sends them into unknow places to do things they hardly feel qualified to do. The 12 disciples were not healers and preachers – they were fishermen, farmers, labourers and even a tax collector. They knew how to mend nets and sew seed, but they knew very little about preaching and healing. And yet this is what Jesus asked them to do in his name.
In their time, they were who the Lord had to work with. In our time, we are who he has to work with. Today, we are the ones called and encouraged – in fact stronger than that – we are the ones commanded and commissioned – to bring the healing and lifegiving message of Jesus Christ to our world. We are the ones called to bring about the Kingdom of God in and through our own daily lives.
I often find it helpful to imagine this dynamic as a jigsaw puzzle. I’m fascinated by jigsaws but not very good at them – I don’t have the patience to stick with them until they are finished. This Kingdom of God jigsaw is of course much, much larger than we can possibly imagine and would probably have billions of pieces – one piece for every one that has ever existed, exists now and will ever exist. Each of us holds a piece – a unique piece that has a unique place in the magnificent emerging picture. Slowly the Holy Spirit guides us so that we can place our piece in its place. Each piece is vital – without it, the picture remains incomplete – unfinished. By virtue of our Baptism, we have a special call to allow the Spirit of God work in and through us so that we can be co-makers of this cosmic Kingdom puzzle with God. Bringing about the Kingdom of God is not someone’s work – its ours. We are God’s hands, feet, eyes and hands in the word as St Teresa of Avila puts it.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples are sent out into the unknown – Jesus knows how they fit into the Divine plan even when they don’t. They leave for their mission empty handed, with the words of Jesus ringing in their ears and hearts filled with hope and trust. That too is what the Lord needs from us for the Holy Spirit to work in us – open hearts, open hands, open minds.
God often asks us to do things we don’t feel properly equipped for – when he said to the rich young man – come follow me – The young man first wanted to go and do this and that before he could follow Jesus. He didn’t feel ready or prepared to say yes and went away disheartened. We can all feel like this. We can ask ourselves ‘What does God want of me in my life?’ – and it’s a very good question to ask. If we ask this question often enough and if we take it to prayer - we might feel an answer to that question stir in our hearts and at the same time we might dismiss it because we are afraid of what the answer might mean for us. The Prophet Amos in the first reading today struggles with this – I’m not a prophet he says; I’m a shepherd and a sycamore dresser and yet, with faith and hope in his heart, he became a great prophet. Fear causes doubt and doubt causes us to lose faith in God, ourselves and others. Oftentimes this is the very land – the unknown place – the place of doubt and fear and uncertainty – that the Lord calls us to go to with nothing more than his words ringing in our ears and hearts open to possibility. I always think that it’s important for us to remember that If we are feeling unsure and uncertain then we can be sure that others feel that way too. It’s the peace of Christ that is the true antidote for such uncertainty. A simple prayer to help us:
Lord I believe in you, help me in my doubt.
Lord, I hope in you, help me in my despair.
Lord I trust in you, help me in my fear.
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