July 4, 2021: 14th Sunday in Ordinary time
Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10; Mark 6: 1-6
Based on the Word this Sunday, here are some contradictions that you could ponder on…
1. You are sent by God to a particular space and time: till the end of your time you will not realise it to the full and not as long as you are in the space where you live!
How many of us wonder what we are really upto and how many even lament that we are not making any meaning at all where we are! It is simply the strength of faith that can help us understand that we are in a particular situation, because God willed us to be there!
2. You are sent to live amidst a people, the people with whomever you find yourself in reality, but they will never look at it that way and you will wish to have been elsewhere all your life!
At times it takes a whole life time to prove oneself; ironically some end their life, all the time trying to prove themselves, and never succeeding in any way. It takes a really strong self esteem to stand firm even at certain drastic experiences of rejection we face in life. That sort of a self esteem, comes from our sense of being connected to our real source, that is God, from whom we draw our dignity.
3. You are called to be a prophet - though it means living a life of a prophet, it is decided only in the way you die. It is, literally or symbolically, a call to die for a cause!
This is another irony…to live for a cause is actually to die for it. That is, we find that the cause we are dedicating ourselves to, is so meaningful and life-giving that we are ready to give up anything for that. The Reign of God has to one such cause, or “the cause” for which a disciple of Christ has to live for, or die for?
4. You are sent, as people of God, amidst a people who would not easily accept you; if they accept you easily, may be, they are not the ones for whom you are specifically sent!
Is it not our usual experience: that we seek to be with those with whom we feel at home, by whom we feel accepted, with whom we feel comfortable and appreciated. Apart from this, there is a kind of divisive sense of belonging, that differentiates between ‘we’ and ‘they’, ‘our’ and ‘their’… a sectarian mentality that has deep roots even within a church!
5. You are sent - that does not mean you are special... just look around and you would see scores of persons much better than you, however that does not excuse you from following your call.
A sincere person is certain to have this feeling – that one is not really worthy of the call that he or she has received. For example, to be called ‘christian’ or to be called ‘people of God’ or ‘persons of God’…do we merit it? No. But that fact notwithstanding, we are called to live, strive to live the call that we have received, the chosen-ness that we enshrine.
6. You are sent - therefore it doesn't matter if you don't love the task that you are entrusted with, it is your duty not your hobby; do it with your full heart and energy… even if it is, and especially if it is living your daily life in silence!
It could be that, the task we are called to does not interest us, or some one else’s task seems more attractive or more engaging or more rewarding! But that cannot deviate me from the responsibility that is entrusted to me! I need to grow sufficiently strong in the faith perspective of my life, that I do things not because I like them, but because I have been commissioned to do them, nevertheless I do them to my maximum capacity.
7. You are sent - that does not mean you are strong, it makes you weak and vulnerable! But it is in that weakness and vulnerability that you would make the One who sent, better known to the rest!
It is not merely an honour to be an apostle, that is, to be sent. It is more a challenge and a risk. It does not only make me special, it makes me also more responsible, more answerable, more culpable of the wrong personal choices I make. No one practically may know the deep buried motivations that guide my choices, but God knows it all and it is God who has sent me. Does that not make me really vulnerable? However, that is my special identity, isn’t it?
8. You are a prophet to the people which means you would be rejected by them, at least by the dominant and the majority - if you are easily accepted, you are no prophet!
What prophet is he or she, who speaks only what everyone likes! Is it not more a pleasing than a prophesying? Like Jesus asked in connection to John the Baptist: what did you go to see in the desert – a man with an elegance and finesse? If you are cause of a controversy, it is perfectly alright, provided you did not create it deliberately for your own mileage and your own hidden agenda.
9. Popularity and Prophecy do not go together - mind you, if you seem too popular in a place, you are conforming to their ideals, and not to the one who sent you. So, don't strive to make yourself acceptable!
Pleasing, popularity, conformity – these are terms diametrically opposed to a prophetic lifestyle. The only person we need to please, or conform to, is God! This is due to the fact that God is eternal, never changing and ever perfect. When we begin to please as many as we can, we begin to compromise and conform, losing truth and meaning of our very lives. It is a serious question to dwell on, beginning from our simple ordinary daily life, to national and international affairs.
10. The One who sent you, sent you to the rebels, not to the patriots! Hence if you are comfortable with those who are inside the flock, with those who are just around you, you are mistaken - you haven't started to live your call yet!
This is again the choice of people whom we deliberately choose to be with! But here it directly refers to those whom one intends to serve! When I do something for someone, I wish to see my returns, my reward, my satisfaction…and if I choose to serve only those who are submissive and those who do not raise any critical questions with respect to the situation in which they live. The world today is desperately trying to redefine ‘partiotism’ and ‘loyalty’, as conformism and compromise! Can it be?
In conclusion, what is the Word challenging us to be, or to do? To think and act in terms of the call that we have received and to be ever conscious of it. It may present apparent contradictions deep-seated controversies, but making the call the foundation of our meaning in life, is the secret to grow into true disciples, apostles, and prophets of the Lord.
