Fr. Gerard Kelly
About six weeks ago, on the Feast of
Pentecost, the Church began a Year of Grace.
At the time, you will recall, it was described as a time to recognise
what God has done for us, for the church and for the world; and to rejoice in
this. There isn’t going to be any big
programme that we have to attend or sign up for. It is more a time of quiet reflection –
perhaps a bit like a retreat. It is a
time to listen to God, to receive what God gives, and to start afresh from Christ.
Our liturgy today reminds us that from
the beginning of creation God has had a plan for the world and for all
life. This plan can be best summed up in
terms of communion with God and among the whole of creation. The fulfilment of this plan comes about in
Jesus – in his death and resurrection.
He is the new creation.
What we are talking about here is the
great work of God, the graciousness of God, the grace of God. Through our baptism we already share in this
life promised by God. We are the recipients
of God’s grace. But our gospel today
tells us something more about this gift of God that we have received. It is not simply that God has blessed us. God has also drawn us into his life and given
us the responsibility of making his good news known. This too is a gift. We share in the mission of Jesus. During this year we re-commit ourselves to
Christ.
Today we heard in the gospel that Jesus
sent his disciples out in pairs. We were
not told a lot about this, but what we were told is important. The first thing was that not everyone would
welcome the gospel of the kingdom. But
this didn’t seem to deter the disciples: the message is to be offered and if it
is refused then they move on. On the
positive side we heard that they helped people to know the kingdom of God and
to change their lives; and that they healed the sick. Of course, this mission describes the life of
the church throughout the centuries.
Through the celebration of the sacraments the church offers people the
opportunity to participate even now in the fruits of the kingdom of God. This is why, for example, the church has
anointed the sick, and offered people the opportunity to have their sins
forgiven in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Of course, we all know that the Church’s ministry also goes beyond the
celebration of the sacraments and has focused on the care of the most
vulnerable in the society.
It is good for us to consider how each can
receive this grace and participate in the mission of Jesus. For none of us is it a matter of literally
moving about from town to town and proclaiming the gospel out loud, or shaking
the dust off our feet if people reject the message. Rather, we participate in the mission of
Jesus in our own homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods. Let’s look at two things that the gospel
scene today speaks of: calling for repentance and curing the sick. These two missions characterised Jesus’
mission from the beginning of the gospel.
The mission to proclaim repentance is
about helping people grasp the vision of the kingdom of God and to change their
lives where necessary in order to embrace this kingdom. What might this look like in our day? I think of parents and how they do this. They are the first teachers of their children
in the faith. They are the ones who
motivate their children to live with a certain set of values. Sometimes the role of parents can be likened
to that of the coach of a modern sporting team.
These days the role of the coach is to inspire and motivate the members
of the team. It is about making sure
that they know exactly what they want to achieve, and that they know what they
have to do to achieve it. The vision of
winning gets locked into the heads of the players, and they shape their lives
around it; they follow a regime of discipline that will ensure that they reach
their goal. The kingdom of God is a
grand vision of what God has planned for all of us. It points to what we are all capable of. Parents help their children to capture this
vision and to do what they need to do to live it. Parents are also there when there are lapses
and falls. They help their children get
up and get back on course.
We can also think about the mission to
cure the sick in a similar way. Families
are very good at caring for their sick members.
This can be particularly so as family members age. Children have a special role to care for
their parents. How they do this depends
on the circumstances and health of their parents. The vision of the kingdom of God is one where
people maintain their dignity and are respected. It is about valuing all people. When this happens we see a sign that the
kingdom is among us.
Perhaps all that I have just spoken of
can sound like something that could be expected of any person. Yes, this is true. But the point to make today is that we who
are baptised have received a gift from God.
We live the way we do in response to that gift. That gift motivates us in all that we do. Let’s recommit ourselves to start afresh with
Christ.
