15th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘He began to send them out’
From the outset the Church was missionary. The disciples were sent-out by Jesus to others. Christianity is not a private religion. The prayers of the Mass and the dismissal at the end of the celebration are reminders to us of the outward thrust that must be at the heart of who we are. We strengthen our own faith by sharing it with others. We share it best through our witness. Notice how Jesus concentrates on the lifestyle of the disciples rather than on the message. Witness always speaks louder than words. From the beginning, the word of God has encountered opposition ranging from apathy to derision. St. Thomas Aquinas said that the four typical substitutes to God are pleasure, wealth, power and honour. These substitutes for God and His word have become increasingly evident in our land at this time and when God is lost people are ‘capable of anything’. The great Irishman, Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary uttered prophetic words back in the 1920’s when he warned that inertia with regard to our faith leads, within two generations, to non-practice and within a further two generations to non-belief. The era of non-belief is with us. Witnesses are needed. Our mission is close to home.
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