September 23, 2020
Year A
Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Proverbs 30:5–9
Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163 (R. 105)
Luke 9:1–6
Proclaiming the Kingdom of God
"Three elements conspire in the making of every great message: a pulpit, an audience, and a truth.
He also said that for Jesus's last message (the Seven Last words), his pulpit was the Cross, his audience were the scribes, Pharisees, Temple Priests, Roman Soldiers, and his disciples, and the truth was the seven last words he proclaimed on the Cross.
The first reading stresses two things; Truth and making Holy God's name. According to the first reading, without Truth we will not know God, and without that which is needful for our survival we will steal and hence profane the name of God.
The Word of God is Truth (cf. John 14:6), and is through him that we know God. Now the Word is both a Noun and a Verb as yesterday readings made it clear; is not only passive in the sense of hearing but is also active in the sense of practicality, for is the Word that did bring all things into existence and also took flesh (cf. John 1:14).
As Jesus sends the Apostles today to proclaim the Kingdom of God, their message is the Truth himself, the Word of God, and he is the Kingdom of God. Because wherever the Word of God is, the will of God is been done, and wherever God's will is been done, is God's Kingdom. The Word he gave them is the power and authority he gave them, himself as the Kingdom of God over all nothingness or darkness; devils and diseases.
As he gave them the Truth, and is himself, it means he gave them everything; the pulpit and the audience. The pulpit is the medium of or for proclaiming the Truth, and this can be found in the series of instructions he gave them concerning what they should take or should not take, which also speaks about himself. All of them at a glance shows us God's providential care for us.
We are not to take any staff, because God's staff and crook are there to give us comfort (cf. Psalm 23:6). Staff is a symbol of authority and power, but as we have the Word of God who is our authority and power we will always be comforted. In the days of Moses, the staff had authority over good [means of salvation (cf. Exodus 14:15ff)]and evil [can turn to sepernt (cf. Exodus 4:3)].
Both no haversack and money purse leads us to remember in the story of Joseph, how through the plotting of food and their money in their bag and eventually after his cup plot he revealed himself to his brothers (cf. Genesis 42-45), just as Jesus through the bread and cup reveals himself to us (cf. Luke 24:30). We will also see how the Eucharist is also clearly depicted in Jesus's instructions. No bread in addition to the above leads us to the statement of Moses that man can have live by every word that comes from God's mouth (cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
No tunic leads us to reflect on what happened to Moses at the Advent of his vocation. When God told him to put his hand into his tunic and it became diseased and when he did it again, his hands was restored (cf. Exodus 4:6-7). Base on this we can say the tunic sought of Symbolizes putting on a new self.
For no sandals we also remember that at the vocation of Moses, because of God's presence Moses was told to take of his sandals (cf. Exodus 3:5). Although in the gospels the point is that no extra sandals is needed, it draws attention to going barefooted which will mean everywhere God's presence will be with them.
According to the Lukan account, the instruction was not to take a staff, haversack, bread, money, and a spare tunic. This is different from the parallel accounts of Matthew (cf.10: 9ff) and Mark (cf. 6:8ff). However the tensed distinction is concerning the staff and sandals. While Matthew and Luke attest that they are not to take a staff and sandals, Mark says they are to take a staff and sandals.
The point is, according to today's gospel, the Apostles are called to complete Detachment. In a sense, they are to share in the suffering of Christ and through the Cross proclaim the Kingdom of God. Thus sharing in the suffering of Christ is the medium or pulpit of and for proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
Now let's look at this, the staff as a symbol of authority is normally held in the right hand, the ancient Jewish haversack is hanged at the side of the person, bread and extra tunic will be placed in the haversack, money is put into a purse which may be held in the other hand and a sandals is worn on the feet. We see clearly from these the wounds of the Cross, and to stress, just as blood and water from the side of Jesus Symbolizes the Eucharist and Baptism, so too the bread and extra tunic respectively. In Baptism our old self or tunic is removed and new one is put on. Okay what about the wounds of the Crown? Remember others are also to provide roof for their heads.
In sharing in the suffering of Christ, we learn from Christ who is gentle and humble in heart with an easy yoke and a light burden (cf. Matthew 11;29-30). The fact is with every authority there is a suffering attached to it, for uneasy lies the head with the crown. But when the suffering is shared with Jesus Christ, it becomes light. So share your sufferings with Christ Jesus today. This draws me to the final reflection.
All that Jesus Christ told them to not go along with is a lot of weight that will hinder the fast spread of the gospel. These are things that will weigh them down. There are some unnecessary things that are weighing us down and hindering the growth of the Kingdom of God in us and through us to others. In 2016, as Pope Francis opened the Italian Bishops’ Conference, he told them:
“In an evangelical vision, avoid weighing yourselves down with a pastoral plan for preservation, which blocks openness to the perennial newness of the Holy Spirit.”
From the gospel today and also from the life of Saint Padre Pio, we learn that the true cost of discipleship is to share in the suffering of Christ Jesus and be released from unnecessary weight that weighs us down, so that we can make know God and make his name Holy.
By Sylvester Amakye-Quayson
Comments
Post a Comment