"God chose us in Christ, before the
foundation of the world"  (Ephesians 1: 3)
 
We are all called to be disciples and missionaries. But what does it mean to be a disciple? Today's Gospel gives us the answer because it describes what Jesus said to his disciples when he sent them out: to be a disciple is to leave everything behind, to preach and to live a life of simplicity. Let the readings help us to recreate our mission as disciples since Jesus wants us to be his witnesses.
 
The life of the disciples or missionaries as well as that of the ancient prophets can be a life full of difficulty. God sent the prophet Amos on a mission to Bethel where people rejected him. People told Amos to go home and never come back. Jesus on the other hand told his disciples not to take money or food or clothes to change. Curiously, in the second reading, Saint Paul, one of the greatest missionaries of the Church, thanks God for all that God has done for us. Therefore feeling disciples and missionaries even when we may face trials and adversities, we have to remember the richness of God's grace. Perhaps one of the biggest fears that impede our missionary work today is to believe that we should have great academic degrees to be able to preach. Although a good preparation helps the disciples, we can't stop doing God's work. Like the prophet Amos although feeling rejected, reminded his interlocutors that "he was not born a prophet but a simple shepherd and a dresser of sycamores". Amos did not study to be a priest or a prophet. However, he felt the call or vocation to fight against the corruption of the powerful that oppressed the poor. Amos denounced the lack of social sensitivity of the powerful towards the poor. Nowadays our world needs prophets like Amos to remind us that everyone has to share to let the Kingdom of God blossom.
 
Jesus' command to "go two by two" has always caught my attention. There is no doubt that this advice about not traveling alone made the trip and preaching less dangerous. It is interesting to speculate about how they paired off. Perhaps Peter, impetus and outspoken, was sent with Thomas, unsure of what he did not see himself. Who might have been paired with Judas? Although the disciples did not carry many material things, it is no less true that they were prepared to attract followers, drive out demons, and cure many who were sick. Above all they carried the model of their Master, Jesus, who taught them to be humble and put their trust in our Heavenly Father. We know that the strength of God was with the disciples and only that his grace was necessary to announce to the world a world of brothers and sisters.
Are we ready to be disciples and missionaries?
 
Fr. Hernán, SJ.