(Amos 7,12-15; Ephesians 1,3-14; Mark 6,7-13: 15th Sunday of Year B 2015)
God himself is the architect and giver of every genuine vocation. When he calls, he gives the one called the inspiration and accompanies him or her with the grace to meet up with the demands of the call. The choice God makes of us does not depend on any merit of ours. This truth compels us to always cultivate a healthy sense of unworthiness, knowing that nothing qualifies us to take up whatever vocation in life except the choice God makes for us out of his unbounded love.
Amos realized this truth about his vocation as a prophet. In today’s first reading, he was quick to remind Amaziah that his prophetic mission was God-given and not something he consciously decided to embark upon. “…it was the Lord who took me from herding the flock, and the Lord who said, ‘Go, prophecy to my people Israel’”. The only qualification Amos laid claim to, was the fact that it was the Lord himself who called him and gave him the mission. It was all God’s own initiative; all he did was to make himself available. In exercising his prophetic call, Amos made sure he followed God’s directives and conveyed His message to the people without diluting it, making it to suit the political stake holders of his time or allying himself to them. He was not a court prophet who was in the King’s pay role or that of a powerful and influential politician. He did not tailor his messages to suit the taste of the one who pays for his livelihood as the court prophets did and even Amaziah in the first reading of today. He did not compromise his call, and was then in the position to criticize and condemn the evil actions of the powerful ones in the society. What is more, the message of Amos included calling the people of Israel to be faithful to their covenantal relationship with God, allowing the practice of divine cult (worship) to be reflected in their daily life, keeping the commandment of God and practicing social justice.
In the second reading, St. Paul made the link between our fundamental vocation as Christians – the call to holiness, and the fact that it was God’s own choice that necessarily qualifies us clear: “…he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence”. The choice God makes of us, confers on us a new identity and demands from us a co-operation that is total and unconditional. There must be that readiness to be able to adapt to these demands no matter the inconveniences involved.
While conferring their mission on the Twelve and sending them out in today’s gospel, Jesus challenged them to be prepared for the ‘inconveniences’ of their calling: “…no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses….”. The single-minded attention demanded by their mission would not admit of any preoccupation with personal convenience. They were called to place all their confidence in God’s providence. Interestingly, the Lord who initiated their whole mission always ensured that they never lacked. The same experience is extended to us in our struggle to answer God’s call and be faithful to the demands of our calling. When we single-mindedly devote ourselves to seeking and doing God’s will in the different vocations he entrusts to us in this life, He always has a way of taking care of our needs and basic conveniences. The initiative, the choice and the sustaining grace are all His. All that we bring into the picture is our willful co-operation and availability. Assured of God’s providence in the mission He sends us today as he sent the apostles, we are to concentrate our message, as the apostles did, by preaching repentance (conversion). Conversion in effect means changing our attitudes to be in line with God’s will. Our behaviour follows then our attitude. This in effect will mean avoiding sin and all the occasions of sin, and keeping God’s commandments. As the Latin adage holds: Nemo dat quod non habet (No one gives what he has not), we cannot preach conversion to others when we are not yet converted. Let us, therefore, pray in this Eucharistic Liturgy that the good Lord may bestow on us the gift of conversion that will enable us to be faithful to our vocation as Christians, so that our preaching, in words and deeds, will have positive effects in our lives, and in the lives of our neighbours. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye 
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