Reflection for
Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A
(Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9; Mt
10:7-15)
Our beloved prophet Hosea today
talks about how Israel responded to God’s show of love upon them. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out
of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went away from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols.” That means, Israel did not identify with the
love and mercy shown her. But Hosea announced God’s continued show of
love and forgiveness. “I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not
again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come to destroy.”
This constant flow of God’s mercy is
echoed in Jesus’ instructions to the chosen apostles as He explains the
missionary mandate to them, “Preach as you go, saying, ‘The Kingdom of God is
at hand.’” Jesus instructs them on ‘what’ they are going to do as they go. Then
He tells them ‘how’ they are going to live and conduct themselves as
missionaries. He further outlines to them ‘what’ they must avoid while on the journey. Finally,
Jesus instructs them on how to respond if they are rejected or their message
was not accepted.
Meditating on Jesus’ instructions, we see how the individuality of each of the apostles ‘disappears’
within the cloud of the missionary mandate. The apostle is to identify with the
missionary journey such that the authority and mandate become a new identity
for him. Therefore, the missionary journey begins from oneself! He must constantly
apply the message of the Kingdom to avoid attachment to persons and things, to
contain peace and to spread it along, and to avoid frustration if he fails. In
other words, the life of the missionary is given meaning and centred on the
message Jesus handed on to him: “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Therefore, the bearer of the message is one who has 'lost' himself in Christ Jesus. “I live, not I, but Christ
lives in me” (Gal 2:20). He lives in us through His word and Sacraments. So, the
apostle must constantly meditate on the gospel for it will be alive and active in him (Heb 4:12). This is how the authority of the word, with
its power to sanctify, heal the sick, and cast out demons is effected and handed
on. Those who receive the message will equally identify themselves totally with
it, such that the salvation of God, with His mercy and love will continue
to flow, as He promised through Hosea. May it flow upon you as you go about your activities today, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday July 9th, 2020.
9th Anniversary of my
Ordination.
