SENT OUT TO CURE THE ILLS OF THE WORLD.

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME.
July 16, 2006.
(First reading: Amos 7:12-15) (Psalm 85:9-14)
(Second reading: Ephesians 1:3-14) (Gospel: Mark 6:7-13)

SENT OUT TO CURE
THE ILLS OF THE WORLD.

Anyone who is seriously interested in curing the ills of our world must begin by acknowledging them. Yes, our world is gravely afflicted by all sorts of individual and collective maladies; here are some of them: Wars, hunger, disease, hypocrisy, lies, oppression, injustice, torture, cruelty, greed, inequality, discrimination, disposssession, abortion, and so on.

Since we, human beings, live in this world, it is inevitable that the responsibility to solve its maladies will fall on our shoulders, and nobody else's. The world's problems belong to humanity and we must take responsibility for them. To take responsibility for our world's problems is tantamount of taking responsibility for our life. To remain inactive or indifferent before the immensity of the problems of our world will amount to self annihilation.

The Book of the Prophet Amos (First reading) speaks of the inescapable obligation every human being has to bring about goodness and well being to humanity. Amos says: "I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me: 'Go prophesy to my people Israel'" (Am. 7:14-15).

Regardless of our place in this world, we all have the responsibility to solve its problems, for such is God's will.

In the gospel our Lord Jesus Christ gives both the power and the authority to undertake such responsibility. "He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits" [over the unclean spirits of sin, injustice, war, oppression, inequality, discrimination, cruelty, falsehood, greed] (Mark 6:7).

We must keep in mind that just as Jesus sent out his disciples to accomplish the above mission, so do the evil and powerful oppressors the world send their agents to spread and perpetuate their rule of oppression, domination, falsehood, greed, cruelty, dispossession throughout the world.

The options are clear: Either we accept to follow the command of Jesus or we accept to follow the command of the powerful oppressors who rule the world.
- If we decide to heed the command of Jesus, we must accept to use the means Jesus puts at our disposal: His power and authority rooted in the mercy, compassion, care and respect God himself has instilled in the heart of every human being. In other words, Jesus delegates unto us his own mission; a mission to be accomplished through his own means and not through the means of the world which are: Oppression, abuse, war, dispossession, lies, hypocrisy, greed.

Behold how Jesus instructs his disciples: "Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money" (Mark 6:8). (This is a way to symbolize total detachment from the means and methods of the world).

- If we decide to heed the command of the world, then we will be bound to use the means and methods of the world: Abuse, weapons, wealth. Thus, instead of curing the illnesses of the world we will be making them worse.

To follow the mission of the Lord Jesus implies inevitably to join him in his suffering. Saint Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians says: "In Jesus we have redemption by his blood" (Eph. 1:7). Thus, if we join the Lord Jesus, we must bring redemption to our troubled world through our "blood", through our suffering.

Finally, the fruits which our mission in the Lord will produce are described in Psalm 85:
"We will listen for the word of God... proclaiming peace.
Prosperity will fill our land. Love and trust will meet; justice and peace will kiss. Truth will spring from the earth; justice will look down from heaven.
The Lord will surely grant abundance; our land will yield its increase.
Prosperity will march before the Lord, and good fortune will follow behind".

The Lord Jesus will achieve all that through those whom he sends out to cure the illnesses of the world.