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| Friday Gospel Recharge Series |
Friday Gospel Recharge
A Reflection on Matthew 10:16 - 23
(Friday Week 14, Year A of the Liturgical Calander, 2023)
What it means to be a disciple
You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: ‘Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’- Christ's great commissioning to us- a big task, as he calls all to know him.
Jesus summons us to share the good news and make other disciples of people from all nations because it’s an expression of God's love for us. His love is unconditional, encompassing all. To say that he is satisfied with only Israel to have the Gospel proclaimed is to say God's love is limited but this is not what our God is. He loves each and every one of us, despite our ethnic, social and religious affiliation.
In this Gospel, however, we get a glimpse of the consequences involved in listening the divine master. As his disciples, we face the prospect of opposition, a very scary thought: oooo aahhh!! Those people who will oppose us are not just strangers belonging to a neighbouring religion: friends and family who we hold dear to our hearts are likely to shirt front and betray us as the gospel tells it. The thought of having our loved ones disown us is a troubling thought, but unfortunately, a choice we have to make: God must come first on the priority’s list and every other person or object that is in essence good must follow after: such as friends, family, social status, professional careers whatever they may be.
Even though we might face this troubling outcome be being abandoned, downtrodden, outcasted for being a disciple of Christ, Jesus invites us in this Gospel to not get bogged down on those who persecute us; we should not let that worry us. Instead, discipleship calls for perseverance. Not necessarily to insistently persevere in proselytization with the one and the same individuals, but instead make better use of our time, as the Gospel tells it, by moving on to the next ear who is unfamiliar of Good News: "if they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next."
I remember as a theological student telling a brother in Christ that priests should be on the streets in the City’s centre preaching a philosophical and theological discourse to passers-by because the foot traffic is greater there than bums on pews in our Churches. His reply reminded me so much of this passage: my time and energy could be better used on campus than to waste it on pedestrians with no time to wait and most likely do not want to listen.
There are many reasons why Jesus would expect his sensible disciple to carry the work forward on deaf ears. If I could offer one explanation it would be that human beings are so complex that reception and acceptance of the Gospel is a timely (manner?)/ game. The wolves who oppose Christ and the goats (Matt. 25: 31-33) who neglect his voice with their cowardly and shameful ways are deeply set in their ways that only time will allow for their hearts to change. This does not mean we lose hope in their salvation however instead keep persevering in the task of discipleship, going from one person to the other, one town to the next, drawing in the curiosity of those who will listen and embrace the Word and perhaps with their own testimony and example win the stubborn hearts of those whom we have no effect.
So,
as an exercise for all of us let us consider where we might be falling short in
this complex task of discipleship. Are we:
· Spending too much time with the same
individuals whose hearts perhaps are not ready for change?
· Not moving on as Christ suggest we do?
· Even engaged in the apostolate of the
disciples?
If we aren't engaged at all or even minimally, we must make a commitment to Christ today because if we remain dormant disciples rather than Christ conscious, we become vulnerable and evolve into wolves and lose the place of salvation.
Let’s
do this together and I wish you all the best.
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