Holy Mother Church calls us to reflect on two closely related realities: God’s election of His people and the mission He gives them.
In Exodus 19:2–6a, God chooses the Israelites to be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. He did not choose them because they were powerful or impressive. On the contrary, they were among the least.
The same pattern appears in Matthew 9:36–10:8. Jesus chooses twelve disciples and gives them the mission of preaching and healing. He does not choose them because they are already qualified. He chooses them, forms them and sends them.
Romans 5:6–11 reminds us of the foundation of our Christian calling: Christ died for us while we were still sinners. We are chosen brothers and sisters, made God’s people through His mercy. As St. Peter writes, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own” so that we may proclaim the praises of the One who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Vocation and mission belong together. Throughout Scripture, God chooses people for a purpose.
Jesus gives us two verbs that help us understand this calling. The first is come: “Come, follow me.” “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Before we can understand our mission, we must first come to Jesus. Come back to Him. Spend time with Him. Adore him. Sit at His feet and learn from Him, for He is meek and humble of heart.
The second verb is go. Go to the lost sheep. Go to the ends of the earth. Go and proclaim the Good News.
But there is an order. We must first come to Jesus, become His friend and fall madly in love with Him. Only then can we go out and serve others.
When I was young, my mother had a rule. After school, when I passed St. Anthony’s Church in Garden Plain, I had to go inside and pray before coming home. One day, while I was praying, my pastor called from the choir loft, “What are you doing here?” I answered, perhaps a little too quickly, “What do you usually do in a church?”
He replied, “You had better be careful. You might end up like me one day.”
I told him, “That would not be a bad idea, Father.”
Our young people need to see that we are in love with Jesus in the tabernacle. If we do not love Him there, we will never be able to love the people we are called to serve and bring back to Him. Without that foundation, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:1, we are only a resounding gong—noise, but nothing more.
We are not called only to travel to the literal ends of the earth. We are called to go to our families, parishes, workplaces and schools and proclaim the Good News. This is difficult work, and we need strength to do it.
Jesus tells us, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54). We need the Eucharist. Jesus gives us His own Body and Blood to strengthen us for our mission.
In the Eucharist, we learn the ultimate meaning of generosity. Christ gives Himself completely to us and teaches us to give ourselves—our labor, sweat and tears—for the salvation of others.
At every Mass, the Father gives us His Son so that we may go out with Him to heal and proclaim the Kingdom of God. But first, come back. The King is here, full of mercy and love, preparing you to shine in the world—not because of your own merits, but because you have become what you have received.
Father Kevin Lix, Parochial Vicar