13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Today we hear the conclusion of the 10th chapter of Matthew's gospel.  Jesus is sending his disciples off to proclaim the good news. He gives them power to cure the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. But Jesus also warns the disciples that in order to complete their mission they will be faced with obstacles and tough choices. They must be willing to always put their faith first even if it comes at the cost of being at odds with family or friends. These are tough words, tough choices for the disciples.  But these are also tough words, tough choices meant for us today. Jesus also sends us out with the gifts he has given us. 

We, like the disciples, are charged with spreading the good news.  Faith and discipleship in Christ is not the easy path. Our faith may put us at odds with others,  and even put us at odds with family and friends. 
Jesus warns us that we need to be careful about what choices we make and who we call friends.    We must ask ourselves are we choosing to surround ourselves with people and attitudes that lead us towards or away from God?  Are we reaching out beyond ourselves to help others?  

    The Gospel reminds me of something my mother once said.  I still remember our discussion.  One day she pulled me aside and asked me sit down and I knew right then I knew I wasn’t going to like this!  She wanted to talk with me about my friends and their values, now of course I did a big eye roll – what did my mother know about my friends??  She emphasized  that our friends have a big impact on our lives and they can lead us in different directions.  Sometimes in directions that weren’t in line with who God meant us to be.  I am sure I argued that my friends were just fine and she should not judge them or me.  But, I did listen to her and although not right away I did make some changes with whom I was hanging out with and how I behaved.   She was right about the choices we make – our choices and values make and form us, they can lead us toward or away from God!

In our lifelong journey of faith, this is important, no matter what our age. We have to make choices about how we spend our time, how we use our God given talents. It’s easy to be complacent but we are called by our Baptism, and have a responsibility to live out our faith, to be a people of Mercy!  Pope Francis says “You’ve got to go out. And it’s going to be messy.  We have to make hard choices, however,  living out the Eucharist is and always has been messy and dangerous.  Both Jesus and Pope Francis call us to move out of our comfort zone and put our faith into action.

 Right now in other parts of the world, people are being persecuted and some put to death because of their faith.  We can’t be complacent in our faith because it is so easy and available in our country!

 We are called to take up our cross, the cross of doing the right thing when it would be easier to ignore what we know is right, to let the other person do it.  We are called to reach out past ourselves to be an example for our neighbors and take the risk of extending our love to all people. We are called to demonstrate to the world what it means to be Christian, and like Pope Francis implores us to always reach out to the poor and poor in spirit.

 And it is a paradox – the more we love God the more we must be willing to take risks, to reach out to others and bear our cross and to reach beyond ourselves, embracing those in need.  We are assured as we hear in our first readings from 2 Kings that those who embrace a prophet will have their own reward. We are called to take risks and put our faith in action, some are called to be prophets and most of us are called to support and help those prophets among us using our God given gifts.

 As we look forward to sharing the Eucharist we know that with every day God calls us to a new beginning!  We must venture out beyond our comfort zone and strive to put aside what keeps us from being the people of God, putting aside false values of  pride, status, and money.  We are called to reach out to the poor and all who need our love and support!  We need to demonstrate our faith as we leave this church!  We will all face difficulties and setbacks but God always walks with us regardless of the difficulties we face.

 Living out the Eucharist is hard, messy and can be dangerous!  However, as disciples of Christ it is the only choice we have!