Qualified for the Mission

HOMILY: Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 9:36-10:8)

18 June 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez

In my 12 years in the priesthood, I’ve come across some funny misconceptions about priests. They say all seminarians or priests can sing well. Hmmm… maybe most but not all. The talent has been sharpened by the constant seminary singing practice. They also say that those who enter the priesthood are the kindest and most obedient male children in the family. That’s a fallacy. Those of you who know Fr. Steve Zabala will recall he claims to be the most naughty among his siblings. Above all, they say all seminarians and priests are handsome. Ah, I didn’t say anything about that. 😜 It’s just a joke.

When we go over the list of the “The Twelve”, Jesus selected to be His most intimate followers and co-labourers we are not at all impressed by His choice! They were definitely not the best and the brightest nor the cream of the crop. The resume of those shortlisted among the 12 apostles is not impressive. They were not rich, nor were they famous. Most of them are uneducated and lacked faith. Some of them had questionable character. By our standards -– the chosen disciples are not impressive at all. But the Lord’s standards are different. As Isaiah 55: 8-9 reminds us… “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

In choosing these simple, uneducated and far from perfect individuals, Jesus is making a very important point as regards discipleship. Save for Judas who despaired, all of them had a profound experience of conversion. When God chooses a person, it is not because he or she is the best but because that person has the potential to bring God’s plan to fruition. I would reiterate — “They have potential.” Free will plays a big part in making that conscious choice to cooperate with God for the fulfilment of His plan. It is, however, by God’s grace, not their own strengths, that the disciples were eventually changed into courageous witnesses of the Gospel. What set these men apart? It was their openness to the transformative grace of God in their lives. St. Paul recognises that the saving grace of God is what brought all believers to salvation of life in Christ. St. Paul tells the Romans that they have in no way justified themselves, rather they have been justified by Jesus’ saving action. (Romans 5:1-11)

The disciples were aware of their shortcomings. Instead of these to being an obstacles, their weaknesses became the way for them to have a deeper faith in Christ’s power to make them truly His apostles. Peter confesses, after the recognition of his failure to love Jesus as he should: “Lord, you know that I love you!” (John 21:15) and Thomas in his doubt and uncertainty acknowledges Christ: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). It was a humbling experience for the disciples to acknowledge where they fall short as Christ’s followers. However, it was the catalyst for their conversion. In God’s hands they achieved great wonders for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all fathers. We, priests are also greeted on this day because our fatherhood is recognised through the faithful entrusted to us. Today’s greetings are often addressed to “The Best Dad in the World” or “The Perfect Father”. Is this how your children still feel about you for the other 364 days of the year? Some kids envy the dads of their classmates and friends. Some wish they had dads who spent less time at the office and had more time for them. Some wish their dads were less formal and instead hugged them and laughed with them more. Well, we can’t choose our fathers but it is by no accident that they became our dads. They are God’s gift to us. We just have to accept that dads are also imperfect people, who have shortcomings.  All of us children, let us thank the Lord for our fathers. Let us forgive them for their failings and treat them with love and respect throughout their life. To all daddies, entrust your fatherhood to God that He may give you what you need to provide for your children, to love them, and to raise them right. 

Finally, let us always remember that “God qualifies those whom He calls.” In the face of our own inadequacies and failures, we simply cannot rely on our own strengths. In whatever capacity we may be called, we must place our trust in God, and allow ourselves to be “qualified” by the Lord for the mission to which He has especially called us. Today, we pray especially for all fathers that God may bless them with the capacity and opportunity to love and care for their children and bring them to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.