Called - Chosen - Sent Out

07-11-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Arul Doss

Dear people of God,

Good morning to you all. The reading of this fifteenth Sunday speaks about how God chooses people for particular missions and about how God chooses all of us who believe to give witness to Him. God calls each one of us and invites us to follow Him and to proclaim His message to others.

The first reading today is from the Prophet Amos. The Prophet Amos tells us: “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.” We are very much like this Prophet Amos, going about our own business and doing what we have to do to earn our living and get along in life. Amos tells us, however, that he was taken by the Lord from following his flock and told to prophesy to God’s people Israel.

By our baptism, each of us is called to take up this same role and to be priest, king and prophet. We are called to be priests because we are called to intercede for others. We are called to be kings because we are called to serve other. We are called to be prophets because the word of God must be proclaimed by us. We never confuse this form of priesthood with the ordained priest. Nevertheless, it is priesthood because the role of priesthood for all of us, whether ordained or not, is to intercede for others with God. The second reading today is from the Letter to the Ephesians and we are this: “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.” We are called, we have been chosen.

The Gospel of Mark today tells us about the role of the twelve. They are called. They are chosen. They are sent out. They are given a mission. we are a chosen people and the pope and the bishops and the priests are only there to serve the whole Church which is all of us. Today we are invited, each one of us, to recognize our own calling and to seek to know what God asks of us in order to spread the Kingdom. Let us open our hearts and our minds in faith.

Have a Happy Sunday!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Doss

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