A Worthy Disciple: Missionary Commentary for Sunday, June 27, 2023

Sunday Readings
2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16a
Psalm 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19
Romans 6:3-4, 8-11
Matthew 10:37-42
USCCB link to the Sunday Readings 

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“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” How can we understand these remarkable words of Jesus and take them to heart? 
We need to purify our hearts and ground ourselves in our true identity as a beloved child of God made in his image. Too often we suffer a confusion of identities – rich or poor, male or female, weak or strong, one political party or another. One identity that lingers in the shadows is “consumer.” We consume goods and services. Do we treat discipleship in the same way? 

Sometimes we think of disciples as students. Education is a product we consume to gain something we want – wealth, power, success. Of course, education is much more. And being a student of Jesus is like being an apprentice. We learn the master’s art, but we also learn how he does life and love. 

A disciple learns the way of the Master – the destination, the path, and the pattern of walking the path. Following Jesus is very different than a quick “like” of a celebrity on social media.    

A disciple becomes worthy – deserving and suitable – when their love for Jesus is primary, strong enough to suffer hardships, and courageous enough to face death. Jesus imprints himself on us so we, in turn, can represent him as prophets, righteous ones, disciples, and even “little ones.” The worthy disciple, in the words of St. Paul, is “dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”

Notes on the Sunday Readings

First Reading
Elisha the prophet is on mission. A woman, and her husband, welcome him to their table and prepare a room for him. Elisha is grateful and asks about her hopes. She longs for a child. He promises her a son. She receives a “prophet’s reward.”

Psalm
We sing the goodness of the Lord forever. The Lord is faithful, kind, strong, protective, and God’s blessings are abundant. What joy! How can we keep from singing?  

Second Reading
St. Paul teaches we have died with Christ so we can live with him, and he lives for God. This is our way. We are now “dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.”

Gospel
Jesus concludes his teaching on mission to his followers. They are undergoing a transformation from being disciples (like an apprentice), to being an apostle. This teaching takes us to the heart of missionary-discipleship. Jesus is not a self-help guru. He is the Son of God who saves humanity from the ravages of sin and death. This is serious business. And he wants us involved. 

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” Those who receive us – as prophets, or righteous, as a disciple, even as a “little one” – will be rewarded, compensated, in ways beyond their imagination.

Connections

Go Forth … begins with a first step. Here are a few ideas:
There is no Mission Café this week due to the Fourth of July holiday but you can register now for July 10 and the summer series. Drop by whenever you can!

You can get the most up-to-date information about Go Forth … at our webpage –https://uscatholicmission.org/go-forth. Be sure to subscribe to Go Forth … our podcast. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

Join us for Mission Consult: Communication Tools and Best Practices on Thursday, July 20 at 2pm ET.  Lisa Helene Bacalski, our communications specialist, will provide an overview of how tools and intentional strategies can provide focus and improve outreach efforts for mission. Register now!

Please pray for the missions. 
God bless you in all the ways you Go Forth…