Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

1st Reading: Amos 7:12-15

Amos is called by God to be a prophet

Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

2nd Reading: Epistle to the Ephesians 1:3-14

Praise of God’s lavish grace to mankind

(or shorter The Epistle to the Ephesians 1:3-10)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Jesus sends out the twelve, to proclaim repentance

He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Seeing the bigger picture

For those living west of the Shannon the Sunday of the Connacht Final is a big day every year. That morning we leave the church with a spring in our step and head for the match in the hope that this year will be our year. On the journey stories will be told of great finals and great players. I suppose you know the story of the two football fanatics who in their old age started wondering if there was any football in heaven. They made a solemn agreement that whoever died first would come back and tell the other what it was like on the far side. In due time one died and went to heaven. The other was dreaming one night when suddenly his friend appeared. ‘Tell me quick’ the dreamer asked, ‘Is there football in heaven?’ ‘ Well my old friend’, came the answer, ‘I have good news and bad news. The good news is there is indeed football in heaven. The bad news is we have a match next Sunday and you’re playing on the team!.’

While waiting to be selected for the heavenly team we are all summoned by Jesus to do the best we can ‘to live through love in his presence’ (2nd Reading). In the Gospel ‘Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs.’ Most good work is done with people working together. ‘They anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.’

We all in our own way can anoint and cure. The cure might be more achievable than we realise. When we are weighed down or worried by things that don’t matter we have to open our eyes to a God who helps us to see the bigger picture. Kofi Annan, the United Nations peacemaker, used to tell the story of his last day in school in Ghana. The headmaster put up a large white sheet on the wall and drew in a small black dot. He asked the students what they saw and they said they saw a small black dot. ‘That is your problem’ he said. ‘You see a small black dot. I see a large white sheet. Broaden your vision. See the bigger picture.’

The temptation is sometimes strong to become distracted or dragged down by the small stuff–to spend too much time worrying about things that don’t really matter or situations we have no control over. The challenge for the follower of Christ is to open our eyes. See the bigger picture. (Pat Donnellan)

Proper Praying

A have noticed some recurring themes when people asked me to pray with them or for them. Very often the prayer was for peace of mind and heart, but almost invariably what I was really being asked to pray for was that some awkward person might disappear from their lives! Certainly, peace of mind and heart is a wonderful thing, but it has to be based on reconciliation which in turn is rooted in conversion. This is the foundation of the Christian healing of life and relationships. We are all sealed with the Spirit, we are all called by God to live according to His plan, but in practice this means understanding that my healing is as much a question of changed attitudes as it is of anything else. Healing takes place in a variety of ways, in a variety of forms, physical, emotional, spiritual, but Christian healing always involves the whole person in the reality of time and place and so involves attitudes and life style as much as aches and pains and trauma.

This is something we can all contribute to, each in our own way. Each of us can learn to use a little oil, a little gesture, a bit of thought, a smile, a hand. We are limited only by our lack of concern, by our fear, by our forgetting that the Spirit is alive in our midst and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. There is vast untapped potential for good in all of us. It is worth remembering that peace is not just the absence of trouble. It is above all a force, like joy and love, that endows us with the ability to handle life’s difficulties and threats. It’s origins are in God Himself who is named in the Old Testament as Yahweh-Shalom, God of Peace. But here, peace means wholeness, completeness, health, a presence, a reality that God wants all of us to share with one another.

So: prayer with and for each other, bless each other, support each other, forgive each other, touch each other with love and compassion. These are the things that carry healing at their core and they are within everyone’s reach. Of course, healing is a process; like growth itself it takes time, but who is to say what the effect of even a simple gesture or touch may be. I know many stories and so do you. May we all trust God to complete in loving grace what we begin in grace-seeking love. (Jack Finnegan)