WE ARE CHOSEN TO SPREAD HIS KINGDOM
(Ex19:2-6, Ps 100, Romans 5:6-11, Matt 9:36-10:8)
Beloved in Christ, the Lord has chosen us as his ambassadors on this earth to promote his kingdom. It is God who has called us, and he who has called us knows us. We didn’t choose ourselves but he chose us. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations………” Matt. 28:19. The Great Commission is a command for all of us who have been chosen to follow him, and not for a selected few. Our mission on this earth is to help people to come to the knowledge of God. We are to make God known to the entire world. This is your call, this is my call.
In the first reading, God told the Israelites that he is the one who has chosen them among the nations to be his beloved people. He showed his mighty deeds in their human affairs because they are a special people to him. Their lives should therefore bear the mighty deeds of God among other nations. They are to tell the greatness of the Lord to the world. His graciousness must be proclaimed to the inhabitants of the earth. Through the Israelites, people should come and encounter God. They are to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, whose preoccupation is to serve God and keep to his ways. They were to see this as a privilege, because they didn’t deserve it.
In the gospel passage, Jesus has chosen among his disciples the twelve apostles whom he sent out to spread his word to the entire world. He equipped them for the ministry that he had called them to do. In other words, he gave them the power to minister to his people. “He gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse lepers” Matt 10:8a He also pointed out the reality of lack of messengers for the spread of the word. “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers” Matt 9:37-38. But Jesus again warned his apostles not to use the gifts given them into money making venture. “ You received without pay, give without pay” Matt 10:8b.
My dear friends, considering the number of his ministers among us, it has become necessary for us to continuously pray for more people to respond to his call as ministers of his word. For an effective ministering of God’s word among his people, more priests and pastors have become necessary. Taking the Catholic Church as an example, there are places where the lay faithful see priests once in a months. These situations are not helping in the spread of the gospel. There are times we need our priests and pastors to minster to us as our shepherds. We are all called, but they have special a call to minister to the people of God. God has chosen them as his vessels to touch his people. We need them in our time more than ever. Hence the need to pray for more priestly vocation among the people of God. But the work of God is not left to our priests and pastors alone. We are all called according to our various state of life. It is a collective ministry. They have their role to play and we also have our role to play. We have all been gifted differently according to the desire of the Spirit. It is one body of Christ, with different parts and functions. Don’t therefore leave everything for our priests and pastors, as if to say without them nothing can move on. The time of clericalism (dominance of the clergy) is over. Everything about the church was to be performed by the priests. Today, Vatican II says the lay people also has a great responsibility in the life of the church. You and I have to be on fire for Jesus. The zeal for my father’s house consumes me.
When he calls, he gives the strength to carry on the mission entrusted unto us. He has given us the power to liberate people from the power of human suffering and demonic possessions. Through our ministry, people should encounter the mighty deeds of God in their lives. That authority, that power has been given to us as Christians. It is not only for the priests and our pastors. When you open up to the Holy Spirit, he will use you just as it was in the case of the early Christians. The power of the Spirit is still at work.
Jesus warns us against distractions in the ministry he has called us. One of such is the spirit of materialism. Church is supposed to be a place that people encounter God to gain salvation. But now it has become a business centre for money making and wealth. People establish church not to preach God but to amass wealth. It is sad and disturbing, when we even see and hear the so called men of God boasting of riches and challenging their colleagues with material possessions. These people are rather to be challenging themselves about winning souls and not material things. Of course, it is true that some of these self- proclaimed pastors are not called. They are using the evil power to deceive people. But it is also true that some have been called, but they are abusing their gifts. The gifts are given to serve the needs of the people of God, but not to exploit their ignorance and enrich ourselves. Please the paying of huge consultation fees, selling of items with exorbitant amounts and others we know are not teachings of Christ. Such people are only taking advantage of innocent people. People are going through a lot in life, hence they will do everything and anything to be free of their predicaments. And these so called men and women of God are taking undue advantage of them. God will take care of us. No one does the work of God genuinely and goes hungry. To say that a labourer deserves his wages, implies that whatever we are given in the course of our duty as his ambassadors must be taken in good faith. These are ways he chooses to take care of us but not to exploit the people. I promise you will never lack when you focus on winning souls for his kingdom. I know people have a lot of testimonies in this regard and I am one of them.
May God help us to focus on spreading the kingdom of God to all corners of the earth. AMEN.
Allow Christ to use you to build his kingdom! You are a chosen vessel of God!
Have a blessed Sunday AND A FAVOURED WEEK AHEAD.
REV FR. Akakpo Matthew
