Readings: 2 Kings 4:8-12, 14-16; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10:37-42
One Good Turn Deserves Another.
1. Last Sunday we listened to Jesus as he gave his apostles instructions before they were sent out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He made it clear to them that their journey would be anything but rosy. They were to expect the worse but hope for the best. He told them not to be afraid of those who could only kill the body but had no power to cast the soul into hell. God was in control of their lives and knew even the number of hair on their heads. It reminds me of the parting words of one of my teachers to our graduating class from high school, “May your ways be rough.” Today, as Jesus concludes his missionary address, he warned them, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” These are hard words! Christ stressed, in no small way, the difficulty of discipleship. Our call to follow Jesus means a clean break from family ties, blood relationship and encumbrances with worldly things. It means dying to ourselves so as to live for Christ and others. Our mission responsibility, according to Jesus, should always be our number one priority. Hence our burden should be the cross of our Lord, while depending completely on the generosity of the people we are sent to.
2. As I read through these instructions, I think of my work in Banjul Diocese of the Gambia. It was tough, to say the least. I had to learn a new language, struggled with food and the culture that was different from mine. But what I went through was nothing compared to what the Kiltegan Fathers (SPS), who brought Christianity to my region in Nigeria, had to endure. I often wondered how they survived when they came out in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They had no roads, pipe-borne water, electricity, hospitals, schools, churches and no accommodation. They fought to stay alive against malaria, influenza, cholera, and the weather; many of them died only after a few weeks of arrival. They struggled with the language, the people, elements and the environments. Gradually, however, they were able to build rectories, churches, schools, hospitals and undertook to teach children, not just religion, but also provided them with the best education they could at that time. They died to themselves so as to give us a new life. Thanks to them, many of us are priests today, following in their footsteps, and giving to others what we received ourselves. They proved that the best kind of life is the one lived for others. It is in sacrificing for others that we have a meaningful life of peace and tranquility.
3. The closing verses of Christ’s mission-sending speech in today’s Gospel, made it very clear that missionary work cannot be undertaken by everyone in the same way. But we are called to be missionaries, regardless. There are two components to missionary work. Some people go to the mission through their financial, spiritual and moral support, while others give to the mission by going themselves. These are missionaries who responded to the call, to leave their homes and families, in order to bring the Gospel message to people in foreign lands. Without the sending and the receiving church, mission work would be impossible task to accomplish. A disciple is the one sent, therefore, churches must be open to receive and support those sent. For in receiving the ones sent by Jesus, the church receives Jesus and even the Father who sent him. Christ reminds us: “whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Anyone who shows hospitality to those engaged in missionary activities of the church will surely be rewarded. Again, these are the words of Jesus: “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of a righteous person.”
4. Everyone, whether engaged in mission work or not, has a role to play in the Church’s mission; therefore, we must take direct interest in responding to the divine mandate of Christ, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt. 28:19). The story of Elisha’s meeting with the wealthy, though childless, woman of Shunem, in the first reading, illustrated how God has always rewarded generosity to those engaged in divine mission. She and her husband were promised a child because of their generosity to Elisha, the man of God. ‘One good turn deserves another’, indeed! We can change the world through our generosity. We may not know what acts of kindness will change the life of people we meet daily, God knows. Our sporadic acts of kindness are all we need to bring transformation to the people we encounter.
5. The story of Baron De Rothschild, one of the richest men of his time, demonstrates the ripple effect of generosity to strangers. Legend has it that Baron once posed before and artist as a beggar. While the artist, AryScheffer, was painting him, the financier sat before him in rags and tatters holding a tin cup. A friend of the artist entered, and the Baron was so well disguised that he was not recognized. Thinking he was really a beggar, the visitor dropped a coin into the cup. 10 years later, the man who gave the coin to Rothschild received a letter containing a bank order for 10,000 francs ($10,539.95) and the following message: “You one day gave a coin to Baron de Rothschild in the studio of AryScheffer. He has invested it and today sends you the capital which you entrusted him, together with the compounded interest. A good action always brings good fortune. Signed, Baron de Rothschild.” (Kindle Your Spirit by Fr. John Pichappilly). Our Lord promised us a reward for our acts of kindness to those who answered the call to be missionaries, his disciples, his eyes and ears in the world. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap.” (Lk. 6:38). Human generosity will always be rewarded with the divine superabundance. Please take these words seriously and open your hearts to God’s children who need your help. Whatever you give, be it water, food, words of prayer, words of encouragement, a listening ear, a ride to the doctor or assistance to missionaries, anywhere in the world, is a good deed done to God. Your reward may not come today but it will certainly come one day soon. Though you may undergo suffering and deprivation in the process, let it be your participation in the cross of Christ.
6. Together, let us pray with St. Francis: “It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in giving that we do receive, and it’s in dying that we’re born to life. May God give us the grace to give all we have in the service of his name and for the salvation of our brothers and sisters. Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.
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