REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

Homily 29th Sunday C
(Oct 17, 2010)
Fr James McTavish, FMVD

Mission Possible!

One day I went to the mass in Sydney, Australia. I was working there as a surgeon and felt that I was doing my part to make this world a slightly better place. Sitting down in the mass an old lady came and sat next to me. Sounded like it would be a slightly less boring mass than normal as the priest said that a missionary from Africa would speak to us as it was “World Mission Sunday” whatever that was. In the homily I was waiting for a superman type figure to share to us about the mission in Africa. Imagine my surprise when the ‘little old lady’ got up to share – she had just come back from a war zone. When she spoke, such words of love flowed from her mouth that I was captivated. She was not intimidated even with the death threats and would not abandon the orphans she was looking after there in Rwanda. When the soldier in the prison ordered to leave the country she told him “The only way you will get me to leave Africa is in a coffin”. Who was this Jesus she knew? Who was the God that was animating her, moving her in the mission. What was the difference between that little old nun and me? She was in love and I was not. The heart of mission is the love of Christ. I didn’t have that love but I wanted it!

I realized that there was more to being a Christian than reciting a few prayers and half heartedly attending mass. I likened myself at that time to the cat I saw once in the local parish. It arrived a bit late for the mass one day, a bit like me and some of the other parishioners. The cat clasped his paws together in the right moment such that is seemed like he was praying and even in some moments in the homily he seemed to be following as he was nodding his head. We have to ask what does it mean to attend mass? What is the sign of authentic worship? In his message for World Mission Sunday, Pope Benedict said “an authentically Eucharistic Church is a missionary church” and that is why at the end of every mass there is the ‘final sending’ where every one of us is sent such that “the love that we celebrate in the sacraments is not something we can keep to ourselves. By its very nature it demands to be shared with everyone.” I realized that what was lacking in my life was a mission!

Today is World Mission Sunday which reminds us of the mission entrusted to the Church. As the Second Vatican Council told us “the Church is missionary by its very nature”. Mission is what keeps the Church alive and kicking and ever youthful. The great O-mission is when there is zero mission. What is mission if it is not about sharing. When you have something good often there will be a natural desire to share. Once in mission activity we were giving out some candies to the children. Some of the children devoured the candy immediately but one young boy took the candies and put some in his pocket. I watched him and he went and found his younger siblings to share the candies with them. Where there is love there is sharing. What is at the heart of the mission? Sharing God’s love. Why sometimes no interest in mission? ‘Cos there is no love! You cannot share what you do not have.

That is why the readings today give such an emphasis to prayer. In the second reading St Paul reminds Timothy that all Scripture is inspired by God and to preach the Word in season and out of season (see 2 Tim 3, 14-4,2). The Gospel today speaks about the need or should we say necessity of prayer. Jesus told the disciples about the necessity to pray and never to get weary in our prayer life. (See Luke 18,1-8). Jesus recounts a story of an old widow who tried to get justice from a crooked judge. The judge was resistant but because of the persistence of the widow he relents saying that if he didn’t she might strike him. The Greek verb translated “strike” is actually to hit under the eye, so one version could be that the judge feared he might receive a black eye from the old lady! Jesus invites the listeners to pay attention to this story and concludes saying “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

This parable to explain the need to pray constantly and persistently. Prayer is the source of mission as here we receive the love that has to be shared. How can you share Good news if you don’t first listen to it? But the problem in our world of today is that we are very busy with no time to pray. What are the consequences? Once Mother Theresa was setting up a community in a very poor area. There were so many people to attend to, so many poor with so much work to do and other religious communities were helping. Mother Theresa insisted that her Sisters of Charity find time each day to pray and spend time in front of Jesus. Some people, including other religious, complained to the Bishop that with so much work to do, with some much suffering around, that there was no time to ‘waste’ in prayer.

This is a very common reaction of many Christians today – ‘better action than prayer’. But what kind of action? Is it the will of God? Jesus told us to remain united to him in order to bear much fruit but cut off from him we can do nothing. Mother Theresa insisted that her nuns take time each day to pray to draw strength for the difficult work. What was the result? Three months later all the other religious left because the work was too hard. Who are the only ones who remained? The Sisters of Charity! Only prayer can give this perseverance because we cannot do God’s work without him.

The first reading gives us a beautiful image of the importance of this prayer in the middle of the battle (see Exodus 17, 8-13). As long he would keep his arms raised in prayer, the army would win but when he lowered them the army would lose. As his arms got tired, he sat on a rock and two companions, Aaron and Hur, supported his arms. We need a community to persevere! We need to help each other in the mission! Mission is not for lone rangers. And I must say this week I have enjoyed so much the mission activities with my community - this weekend we just finished a 3 day retreat with teachers from a deaf school, 5 of whom were actually deaf themselves. It is interesting preaching the Word of God and seeing it being signed so that the deaf can hear the Word of God. As the Word of God announces – “the deaf will hear” (Matthew 11,5). Not only the physically deaf but also each one of us can begin to hear and sometimes I am deaf to the situation of others.

Let us ask for the grace to persevere in the mission entrusted to each one of us. May we persevere in prayer as it is where we draw the love and strength needed to love and serve others. With love mission become possible. Amen.