Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” July-August 2024

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
3rd week psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of the Prophet Amos (Am 7:12-15)
In those days, Amaziah, [the priest of Bethel,] said to Amos: “Go away, seer; retreat to the land of Judah. There you may earn your bread, and there you may prophesy, but at Bethel you must no longer prophesy, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amos answered Amaziah: “I was no prophet, nor was I the son of a prophet; I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees. The Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” – The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

There are prophets eager to offer words of encouragement and hope when the people of God are crushed by grief and trials, discouraged because they see no way out and have no possibility of escaping dramatic situations. Amos was not like this. He was given the difficult task of lashing out at an unbelieving people, with proud, self-confident rulers who cared nothing about the evil that was about to strike with the arrival of enemy armies and the earthquake. The prophet’s word was harsh, but it was always spoken to inspire a return to God. Indeed, he would repeatedly act as an intercessor before the Lord, so that the calamities would not come. But Amos was not only ignored; he was even driven away so that he would no longer speak or make God’s call heard, like a “roaring lion.” Even where God is honored, where the ministers of worship are present, he is prevented from making his voice heard. Therefore, the question arises spontaneously: what use can the temple be if the authentic word of God, courageously proclaimed by the prophet sent by him, is not to be heard?  

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (Eph 1:3-14)
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. In him he chose us, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him in love, destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in his beloved Son. In him, through his blood, we have redemption, the forgiveness of transgressions, according to the riches of his grace. He has lavished it upon us, together with all wisdom and understanding, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his gracious plan for the fullness of times: to recapitulate all things in Christ, the one head, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have also been made heirs, predestined according to the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who have already hoped in Christ. In him you also, after hearing the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believing in it, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the pledge of our inheritance, awaiting the complete redemption of those whom God has acquired for the praise of his glory. – The word of God. 

Commentary on the second reading

The election of the Church as the new people of God was not a divine improvisation or a contingent product of history, but arose from eternity as the original plan, occupying in the divine mind a place prior and superior even to the plan of creation and having as its goal the reunification of all things in Christ, the “one head.” The Church is the space in which human beings become adopted children of God by adhering to the Gospel of the one Son, Jesus, who with his blood purifies believers from the misery of sin that prevents their full realization. Thus, the person who has received grace will follow God’s will freely and joyfully; purified from every stain and consecrated with the seal of the Holy Spirit, compared to the pledge of a purchase contract, so that it may constitute the guarantee of the future world to which it points and offer assurance of the eternal inheritance, as an advance payment that gives certainty and hope. The Church has the mission of proclaiming this wonderful plan of God, so that believers may say aloud: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 6:7-13)
At that time, Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick - no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not to take a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. – The Gospel of the Lord. 

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The Gospel passage focuses on the instructions Jesus gives the Twelve before sending them out. He does not want to carry out his mission alone, but wishes to involve in his liberating work the people he has chosen and placed close to himself. Although they are the protagonists, they nevertheless depend entirely on Christ, and his way of acting is reflected in their manner of carrying out the mission. He appointed them; beside him they were shaped and prepared; he sent them; from him they received authority over unclean spirits; he determined their equipment, poor and essential, so that only the richness they had received might be manifested and, carrying it with them, communicated to others; from him they learned a disinterested and free way of behaving, not subject to the conditions of their lodging, but ready and available to proclaim the message. Firmly united to Christ, they cannot separate themselves from him. For this reason, once their task is complete, they will return to him to tell him what they have done and proclaimed. Apart from him, no valid meaning can exist for the Twelve, who intend to bring concrete salvation wherever people live and suffer.