26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - September 27, 2009

Lectionary #127



Numbers 11:25-29
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

When we hear the words from James as he rails against those rich persons who oppressed the poor, we most likely visualize persons like Bernard Madoff, the bankers with their huge bonuses, and the brokers who sold mortgages to poor people, pocketed their commissions and skipped town. We probably would say, “Preach it, Brother James, preach it!” But what if we realize that James is addressing his words to us? Then we would be thinking, “Now he’s stop preaching and gone to meddling!”

Now most of us would never act in ways that James in describing in the reading. We would never withhold wages from workers. We would never hoard wealth, never sharing it with those in need. We would never live in “luxury and pleasure,” while others live in poverty and squalor. Or have we? How often do we shop in stores that withhold compensation their workers are due? How often do we stand silently by while developers take over poor neighborhoods, building homes and condominiums, bringing in wealthy tenants and driving out the poor ones? How often do we fail to lift a finger or raise a voice for those who are oppressed in this world?

James was a prophetic voice in his time; we are called to be a prophetic voice in our times. We have seen how corporations, how people of wealth, through their political contributions, buy access to our political leaders. Their voices speak louder than the voices of those who are poor. God is calling us to be their voice, he calling us to fulfill the prophetic role we accepted when we were baptized into the Body of Christ. We need only open ours hearts to God, and he will send us his spirit, and we will prophesy.

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time - July 12, 2009

(Lectionary #104)

Amos 7: 12-15
Ephesians 1: 3-14
Mark 6: 7-13



We see in today’s readings, two examples of the Lord calling ordinary people to mission. In the Old Testament reading, we see the prophet Amos, telling off the priest of the northern kingdom of Israel. Amaziah is assuming that Amos is one of those “professional” prophets, who prophesy for pay. These prophets were probably trained on how to make prophesies more favorable to their clients. Amos declared that he was no professional, but a simple farmhand, a shepherd. A most common man, yet he was called by God to go out and proclaim His word; to go and confront a king and call him to account for his actions. He had no training, but the Lord gave him the words he was to speak.

God always seems to call the most ordinary of people, to do the most extraordinary actions. We see this in the gospel passage from Mark, which details the commissioning of the Twelve Apostles. Here we see Jesus calling the Twelve and sending them out to proclaim the Good News, to drive out demons, and heal the sick. Again these followers of Jesus were just ordinary people, fishermen, a tax collector, and other common men. Yet, because of God’s grace, God’s power, they were able to work wonders.

Many of us today, may assume that because Jesus commissioned the Twelve that the work of proclaiming the Gospel to the world is to be left to the bishops, the clergy and the religious; and we lay folk are off the hook. But we would be wrong. By virtue of our Baptism and Confirmation, all of us, ordained or lay, have been called by the Lord to make the Good News known to the world. We ordinary folk, by our words, but especially by the example of our lives, are to make known to everyone the healing love of God, to call everyone to change their lives and believe the Good News.