Don’t Do All The Talking

15th Sunday In Ordinary Time
12 July 2009



Come, let us rejoice in the Lord: let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

First reading Amos 7:12-15
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, said to Amos, ‘Go away, seer;’ get back to the land of Judah; earn your bread there, do your prophesying there. We want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’ ‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’ Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I was a shepherd, and looked after sycamores: but it was the Lord who took me from herding the flock, and the Lord who said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 84:9-14

Second reading Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind purposes,
to make us praise the glory of his grace,
his free gift to us in the Beloved,
in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
Such is the richness of the grace
which he has showered on us
in all wisdom and insight.
He has let us know the mystery of his purpose,
the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning
to act upon when the times had run their course to the end:
that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head,
everything in the heavens and everything on earth.
And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own,
chosen from the beginning,
under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things
as he decides by his own will;
chosen to be,
for his greater glory,
the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.
Now you too, in him,
have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation,
and have believed it;
and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,
the pledge of our inheritance
which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised.

Gospel Mark 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.


Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut

Have you ever wished you know more about the Catholic Church that we are in – its catechism, history, both the bright and the dark sides, and teachings based from the Bible? Have you ever wished you can always defend your faith against detractors?

I have. Always!

But in the past I was passive about it. I never had the initiative to really learn more about my faith. I was content about what I have learned being an altar boy during my teenage years and never really nurtured my knowledge. That passiveness ended only when I actively got involved as a moderator for the mailing list of a Christian rock band and later on became a staff for a production group organizing concerts for foreign Christian bands in the Philippines. Most of our members are non-Catholics so I find it a must to be very knowledgeable and articulate about my beliefs.

So I did the very fundamental first step in achieving my new found goal -- I prayed. I asked God what he wanted me to do to be His spokesperson. The list He gave me is quite long and I am still barely halfway in accomplishing them. No, God did not instruct me to “take nothing but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in my belt.”Nor did God tell me to “stay in the house of those who welcome me and shake the dust off my feet when I leave those who will not accept me.” Rather, God instructed me to do something I haven’t done before -- to attend a prayer group, and later a charismatic community. He also told me to search for books and websites where I could learn more about the Catholic faith. And then He even sent someone to personally invite me to attend a Catholic community. And guess what, I was even invited to contribute to this website!

Yes, God still sends us to preach in our own little way even by just being good examples of Christian living. Just like with any other intentions, all we need to do is open and surrender our hearts in prayer and listen to His voice. Yes, don’t do all the talking. Let God speak and listen. Then be obedient and magnificent things will happen.

By the way, God still sends us in twos. He lets the Holy Spirit be our partner in fulfilling our mission.







Father, Thank you for speaking to me through prayers! Thank you for making me an instrument in proclaiming Your Kingdom! May this humble beginning be the start of something big in the fulfilment of our mission on earth! Amen.


Next week on God-speak:
Something Good to Cap a Busy Day