HOMILY: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 10:1-12,17-20
3 July 2022
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
As a teacher, I know from experience that not all of our students will have the same receptivity to what we, teachers are trying to teach them. Some would take heed what are instilled in them while others wouldn’t. May sadyang matigas ang ulo. Meron namang sobrang distracted ng dahil sa gadgets, sa friends, sa crushes. Meron din naman talagang mga walang pakialam. These form part of the heartaches of teachers. As we know, teachers don’t earn much nevertheless, they have to deal with loads of paper and online work on top of preparing a good and meaningful lesson plan. Minsan nakakadismaya kapag naiisip ng ating mga guro kung may halaga ba ang pagsasakripisyo? May halaga pa bang maging guro kung wala namang natututo sa itinuturo? There are however points in a teacher’s career where they encounter special students, inspiring young minds who actually work hard to learn and aspire for a better future. These are students who fuel the teachers’ passion to teach, to give their all, to give their best. Yes, these learners make their teachers’ effort worth it as the latter simply would love to see their students become successful, true, confident and consistently making sound decisions in life.
This reality presented by Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel speaks of the life and challenges of discipleship — much work for too few labourers, and many difficulties and rejection to face. Jesus talks about rejection as He sends forth the disciples in their mission. Not everyone will welcome the message of the Good News. More so, not everyone will appreciate the demands of discipleship. Discipleship, after all, bears the mark of the cross, so there is the inevitability of suffering. Throughout history, all prophets have always had to contend with rejection and resistance from the people to whom they have been sent to proclaim the truth. Even the experience of Jesus, Himself, was no different. We recall that the gospels tell us that Jesus, though mainly disliked by the religious leaders (the Scribes and Pharisees in particular), He also experienced a hostile reception back in Nazareth among His own kin. (Luke 4:22-30)
We can imagine how hurtful that must have been — to be doubted and rejected by the people you grew up around. Yet, Jesus remained unfazed and He did not mope around and allow himself to be immobilised by depression. Jesus simply accepted them as they were and quietly moved on. Jesus’ passion for His mission was never dependent on whether people believed Him or not. Hence, when He saw that they were so hard-hearted and they would not change their minds, He concentrated His efforts elsewhere where He could possibly make an impact on people. His mission was to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He was not sent by the Father to prove Himself, His credibility nor His identity but rather it was to sow the seeds of the Kingdom in the hearts of humanity. In Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, we recall that not all seeds grew and prospered. Some fell on rocky soil, some fell on weeds, some fell on the dry path. (Luke 8:6-8) Since Jesus said the seeds were the word of God, we know He expected that even if He proclaimed the Kingdom far and wide, not everyone would believe, not everyone would allow God’s word to take root in their hearts. To me it seems that Jesus did not care to be successful 100% of the time, because He could not control how people reacted to what He had to say. What was of more importance was that He stayed faithful to His mission. We can draw inspiration from the strength and courage of Jesus as we labour to faithfully proclaim His message of life eternal to our brothers and sisters. Similarly, Jesus advises His followers that should they encounter such rejections, they were to shake the dust of that town from their feet. Those who were open to the message were blessed, but those who refused determined their own fate.
What does this mean for us as Christians? As followers of Christ, we have to expect similar rejections and frustrations. There are mothers who are heartbroken when their babies, whom they painstakingly reared in the Catholic faith no longer go to church when they reach adulthood, worse, they convert to other faiths! Yet these mothers do not simply throw in the towel. They pray ceaselessly for their children. Aren’t we frustrated to know that some of our most corrupt government officials were products of Catholic schools? Minsan pa nga, nag-aaral na rin doon ang mga anak at apo nitong mga corrupt na pulitiko. Bukas pa naman ang mga eskwelahan na yan. Minsan pa nga, nag-aaral na rin dun ang mga anak at apo nitong mga corrupt na pulitiko. Dapat na bang isara? Siyempre hindi dahil may mga maaayos namang graduates o alumni ang mga paaralang ito. Sa ating mga nagsusumikap gumawa ng mabuti… eh tuloy-tuloy ba ang effort? Wala bang backsliding? My friend said, it seemed like when she took the path of goodness, more trials and temptations came her way. Pero, naging mas matinik na siya sa pagkilala sa mga ito dahil conscious na siya. Dati, “Bahala na si Batman!”. Anything goes. Ngayon, mas alam na niya kung anong mga bagay ang ikagigiliw ng Diyos sa kanya.
The rejection and resistance that we have to contend with in witnessing to our faith is not just external but also internal. We will always have our own resistance to the Christian mission because our human nature draws us to what is worldly while our spirit draws us to things of heaven. Nonetheless, we should not be discouraged nor deterred from living out the Gospel, witnessing to it, and giving meaning to it knowing that we are doing God’s work. Despite the disciples facing difficulties and sometimes being rejected, they had faith that in time their labours will bear fruit, for it is God’s power that works through them. Both the First Reading (Isaiah 66:10-14) and the Psalm response (Psalm 66) give us a glimpse of what can happen when the message of the Good News is taken seriously. “The city is renewed; the world is rejuvenated; the prosperity of God is enjoyed by all; those who suffer are comforted; the kindness of God fills the whole world.” The fruit of the disciples’ labours may not always be apparent in our present reality but we have a foretaste of this when we experience peace, healing, and prosperity in our midst.
Today, we followers of Christ are sent out in the same way to spread the Good News. We, too are called to remember that even though God’s word is not always welcomed or accepted, the experience of Kingdom prevails. The work of the Lord continues through us. And like Jesus, we are only expected to be faithful to the mission. The rest, we leave in the powerful hands of God.
Sunday Gospel Reflections 