NOTHING MUST BE WASTED

XVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - John 6:1-15

In our rich world, we use and abuse of everything that surrounds us. It has become a society of consumption, giving little thought to the ones in need or to the destruction of the environment. The lure of self-satisfaction moves us in all that we do.

Our modern, capitalist society is a society that swims in wastefulness. In Portuguese, we would say that our eyes are bigger than our bellies. We overeat and throw away as much as we eat, never caring about the poor who struggle to find food and may go to sleep on an empty stomach.

Nowadays, everybody speaks of the danger of obesity, without doing anything to change the situation by changing the eating habits and the attitudes towards food. On TV there are channels dedicated to food, and we can see how they use and abuse of sugar, oils, meat, which people consume in big quantities. And then whatever remains is thrown away.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus teaches us to share. He is the bread of life, and when we seat at his table and eat from his food, we are able to share with the others who have no food. Jesus had compassion on the crowd, and gave them food. In the end, Jesus ordered his disciples to “pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted.” (Jn 6:12). Indeed, nothing should be left to waste. Instead of wasting, we should share with the ones who are in need.

We may ask ourselves why there are so many people starving, while in the world there is enough food? There is not a fair distribution and there is selfishness in our attitudes towards others, specially the most vulnerable. From the table of the Lord, where we are given the bread of life, we must learn to call others to our tables, where we sit as one family, the family of the children of God.

MARY MAGDALENE, A WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION

22 July - St. MARY MAGDALENE

During Jesus’ time, Mary was a very common name, remembering Miriam, Moses’ sister. Today, we celebrate Mary Magdalene, so called because she came from Magdala. From the information we gather from the gospels, we know very little about this Mary. She appears during Jesus’ passion, was present near the cross, and participated in Jesus’ funeral (Mt 27:56-61). She went early in the morning to the tomb and Jesus appeared to her, ordering her to inform the other disciples about his resurrection (Mt 28:1-10).

Luke gives some extra-information, saying that she had been healed and freed from seven demons (Lk 8:2). In the Latin Church, the tradition has confused Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet (Lk 7:36) or with Mary, the sister of Lazarous. She is seen as the prostitute who repented, converted and became a disciple. However, Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, but a woman deeply troubled to the point of insanity, who found peace by meeting Jesus. She was part of the group of women who served Jesus and the disciples and “provided for them out of their resources" (Lk 8:3).

Nowadays, without any fundament, some make the very strange claim that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife. In the gospels, we just get these basic facts and nothing else:

• She was a troubled woman.
• She was healed by Jesus and found peace.
• She became a disciple and followed Jesus.
• She became part of a women’s group, who put themselves at the service of Jesus and his disciples.
• With the other women, she accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem.
• She was present at his crucifixion and participated in his funeral.
• Early on Sunday morning, she went to the tomb and saw the risen Lord.
• She was commissioned by the Lord to inform the disciples of his resurrection.

Mary Magdalene is a first hand witness of the resurrection and she can play a role model as a committed disciple, pointing the way to many women who can become preachers of the Gospel. Indeed, Mary Magdalene can help us to reflect on the role of the woman in the Church. Like her, all are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and announcers of the resurrection.

SELFISH SHEPHERDS

XVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Jer 23:1-6

Jesus saw a large crowd, and he felt compassion and had pity on them, because they looked like sheep without a shepherd (Mk 6:34). People were in need of guidance, encouragement and hope. They were a suffering people, who had lost confidence in their leaders, and remained by themselves, abandoned and alone.

In the book of Jeremiah, God indicts the leaders of Israel, both political and religious, because they abandoned people to their own fate. The people were exploited and oppressed, not only by strangers, but even by those who should protect them. God accuses them of destroying and scattering the sheep and he decides to take action against them:

“It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord.” (Jer 23:2).

Jesus acts in a very different way. He welcomes the apostles from the training mission he had sent them to, and decided to give them some time of rest. However, people would never leave him in peace. As he arrived with the apostles, they were waiting for him already. Seeing them, Jesus forgot about resting, and took care of them: “he set himself to teach them at some length.” (Mk 6:34)

All those in positions of leadership must examine themselves to see their availability, whenever people come to them. Are we always ready to serve? Do we care about people’s welfare or we put forward our self-interests as the only valid interests? Jesus taught his disciples by actions and by words that they must be servants. True leadership is service, not dominance.

THE TRAINING OF THE APOSTLES

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mk 6:7-13

In this Sunday’s gospel, Mark presents the training of the Apostles. Jesus spent time teaching them or giving them the theology of the Kingdom of God, but that could remain very theoretical, and Jesus came to present a new way of life, which is much more a practice (praxis) then a theory. So Jesus sent the Apostles into the field to be tested and to practice what they had learnt. As he sent them, Jesus gave them some final instructions.

He sent them in pairs

It is interesting to notice that Jesus sent them in pairs, so that they can lean upon each other and strengthen each other. Jesus came to establish a community, and in carrying out their mission, the Apostles must give witness to the spirit of community. It is important to point out this aspect, specially in this time, when we live in a society full of individualism. I must always remember that I cannot be a Christian alone, without being part of the body of Christ, being thus connected to all others who are members of the same body. And the preaching of the Gospel has always to be done as a common task that we carry out together.

He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 

And there are so many unclean spirits that oppress us and rob us of inner peace and of a harmonious relationship with the others. There is the spirit of selfishness, greed, lust, pride and the hunger for power and dominion. There is the spirit of dejection and the spirit of revolt, which transforms us into enemies of God and of each other. Once we allow them to occupy our hearts, they change us into slaves and our hearts will always be in constant turmoil. Only Christ is our peace and only he can bring joy to our hearts. As the psalm says: “The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want” (Ps 23:1).

A simple and poor life

Jesus commanded the Apostles to live a simple and poor life. In fact, they should carry only the bare minimum. No extras. Nothing that is not essential. Francis of Assisi took Jesus’ advice to the letter and led a very poor and humble life. The Church cannot approach the poor, when she is endowed with all kinds of goods, being rich and powerful. The preachers of the Gospel must lead a simple life as Jesus advised the Apostles to do.

Walk away and go somewhere else

All those who preach the Gospel must be prepared for  the shock of rejection. Many will refuse to believe. And Jesus told the Apostles not to waste their time, but to walk away and go somewhere else, while shaking off the dust from their feet as a warning of the gravity of their rejection.

The Apostles work

Finally Mark summarises the Apostles pastoral work:

• they preached repentance. 

This call to repentance is the first message of the Gospel, since without repentance it is impossible to hear and accept the Good News of salvation.

• They casted out many devils

We need to be set free from the influence and dominance of evil, so that our hearts may be open to accept Jesus Christ and in him find peace.

• healing people

The proclamation of the Gospel must go hand in hand with an effort to alleviate people’s suffering. Whenever we meet someone in pain, we cannot pass by; instead, like the Good Samaritan, we must stop and stoop down, so that we hear the cry of his/her heart and anoint them with compassion and love. And this compassion and love will lead us to look for new ways to alleviate their suffering.

Nowadays, many preachers attribute all sickness to demonic possession, but the Gospels make it clear that they are two different realities. In fact, many sicknesses have nothing to do with the devil, but are the result of our created nature, with our bodies being affected by everything that surrounds us.

Called and sent

The word we preach is not our own word; it is God’s word.

Amos said it clearly: I did not take it upon myself; it is not my initiative. I was called and sent.

Like Amos, it does not matter where we come from or what kind of job we did before. God calls whoever he wants. We only have to respond to his call and be faithful to the work he entrusts to us.

A NATION OF REBELS

XIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mk 6:1-6

Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had grown up. Everybody knew him as “the carpenter, the son of Mary” (Mk 6:3). They got surprised when they heard his preaching in the synagogue. Where did he get such knowledge?

It is not unusual to find among ourselves simple and unlearned people who show extraordinary wisdom. And we may ask where did they get such wisdom. They have a listening heart, open to whatever happens around them. They allow themselves to be challenged by everything and everybody. They are able to read the signs that surround them. We may say that they allow themselves to be guided, illumined and instructed by the Spirit. I knew a lady in Lubengele who had a very deep knowledge of the Bible, being able to explain things that we learn in the books, although she had very little education. Who taught her? The Holy Spirit.

Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit, but the people of Nazareth, thinking that they knew everything about Jesus, never paid attention to the signs of the Spirit. He spoke words of wisdom, but they rejected him and his teaching. And Jesus was “was amazed at their lack of faith.” This lack of faith can be found throughout the Gospels, not only among the leaders, but also among the common people and sometimes even among the disciples. 

Even though Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith, the fact is that the theme of unbelief runs throughout the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments. This Sunday’s first reading, taken from the prophet Ezekiel, makes it clear that it is not just a question of lack of faith, caused by an inability to trust, but it is in fact an attitude of revolt. God accuses the people of being “impudent and stubborn” or “defiant and obstinate” and considers them “nation of rebels who have rebelled against me” (Ez 2:3-4).

In spite of all the wonders that God performed for them, setting them free and constituting them into a nation, the people of Israel were dominated by an attitude of doubt and suspicion. They could not trust and believe, and they always suspected God of hidden intentions  and evil plans. To God’s ways, they preferred their own ways, convinced that they know better than God. In spite of that, God makes sure that there are prophets among them, to point out their evil ways and to indicate the way to conversion and salvation.

Jesus is the great prophet, who came to be the light of the world, pointing out the way to life and salvation.