The Gospel this weekend has the 12 disciples being sent out to spread the Good News. So, imagine how these disciples were feeling – for they just witnessed Christ being rejected by those who knew him best. So, other than witnessing the words and actions of Christ, they had no real ministerial religious training – and it was certainly long before any dogma and doctrines were ever thought of. For the most part they were simple fishermen – but all called by Christ to be his chosen ones to spread the Good News – and do this by having encounters with others. For true encounters allow us to go directly to the heart of humanity. But the question remains, “How can we better reach this “heart” today?” Check it out…

1. 11 July 2021 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Princeton, NJ
1 Deacon Jim Knipper
This morning’s Gospel from Mark drops us in the middle of a three-week story which carries an
internal unity with last week’s and next week’s Gospel. Last Sunday we heard that when Jesus
returned home to Nazareth to teach in the synagogue on the sabbath he was rejected by those
who knew him. They ask what kind of wisdom can come for a carpenter – the son of Mary? So,
the story continues this weekend, on the heels of his rejection by his own family and friends, as
Jesus turns his attention to his chosen twelve disciples...and calls them forth to head out, two by
two, on their own in order to evangelize.
So, imagine how these disciples were feeling – how nervous they had to be. They just
witnessed their own master rejected by those who knew him best. They had no formal
education – at best maybe a few were able to read and write a bit. Other than following and
witnessing the words and actions of Christ, they had no real ministerial religious training – and it
was certainly long before any dogma and doctrines were ever thought of. For the most part
they were simple fishermen – but all called by Christ to be his chosen ones to spread the Good
News – and do this by having encounters with others.
And as we just heard, the directions given to the twelve were few. They were to take nothing,
but a walking stick and sandals and they were to enter a house where they are welcomed and
stay until it is time to go. In essence they were to go forth, in humility and poverty – not from a
position of power, wealth and prestige rather they were to rely on the hospitality of those they
encountered. In other words, “they, like Jesus who has just been renounced in his own ‘home’
are to take on the status of sojourner in the land.”
In his exhortation – The Joy of the Gospel – Pope Francis reminds us that by virtue of our
baptism, we, too, are being asked to take on the challenge to become what he calls, “missionary
disciples.” - a roll that is so critical to us today, because there are so many people in our society
living and dying on the margins. We encounter them every day at work, in church, in our
community and within our family. But for this encounter to happen it requires us to open our
eyes and step outside of our personal comfort zones, thereby allowing us to develop a closer
relationship with them. By doing so we are welcoming the hungry and thirsty – the sick and
homeless – the immigrant and imprisoned – the broken and the lost - into the Body of Christ.
And as we saw with the disciples – no training is required, no formal education in doctrine and
dogma needed. It comes down to asking ourselves, who around us…maybe so different from
us…can I develop a deeper relationship with, in order to share with them the joy of the Gospel?
For you see…living and sharing the Word of God falls on you and me. But what does this type
of interaction…or modern evangelization look like?
This is how Pope Benedict once described it, “We must sit down and talk to each other without
a focus on trying to convert the other person. Rather the reason is not for us to talk, but for us to
listen and in doing so you will find a great richness coming out of them. And this is their gift to
you. And what you give them is the same thing.”

2. 11 July 2021 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Princeton, NJ
2 Deacon Jim Knipper
And if you and I do this – do not be surprised that when you walk away from the encounter –
you may find yourself changed more than the one you reached out to because authentic
spirituality is more about changing ourselves than necessarily changing others as both sets of
eyes are more opened to the joy of the Gospel. Indeed, encountering and evangelizing entails
treating all people with the care and respect and love God has given them and thus God has
given each of us.
So coming out of these past 18 months of COVID, perhaps what we have lacking is this notion
of “encounter.” But when we do take the time and patience to enter into an encounter, we are
able to be in a place that overcomes and surpasses the distinctions between all social, political,
racial and economic boundaries. For true encounter allows us to go directly to the heart of
humanity. But the question remains, “How can we better reach this “heart” today?”
In a recent letter penned by Pope Francis he wrote: “God’s ‘style’ has three elements:
closeness, compassion and tenderness. This is how God comes closer to each one of us.” How
powerful would that be if we used those elements as our starting point when having an
encounter with another?
Sometimes, it seems, that our Pope gets criticized every so often because his writing and
actions, exemplifying the qualities of God’s care for us, most often leads with “closeness and
compassion” rather than doctrinal teaching. For his wisdom on how to evangelize is made clear
when he writes, “Jesus asks us for a non-judgmental gaze because love alone heals life. God
loves everyone! Let others live and try to approach them with love...for pointing fingers and
judging others are frequently signs of an inability to accept our own weaknesses, [and] our own
frailty.”
So, you may be sitting there and saying to yourself, “Not me, I am not meant for this!” But if you
look carefully, all we are being called to do is allow the movement of the Holy Spirit within us for
the sake of others. But this requires us to focus on our own prayer life – remembering the model
Christ gave us. That first, he always reached out to others independent of who they are: for
there is no worthiness hurdle that must be attained. And then his invitation usually began with
the words, “Do not be afraid” and ended with the line, “I will be with you always.”
So, as we leave here today, I ask you these questions:
What would happen if every one of us took time each week to love and care and walk with
another person, as Christ did?
What if we paused long enough to show one other person what the love of Christ looks like and
feels like so that they can recognize and be open to Jesus’ love for them?
And thus imagine…what would our family, our community, and frankly our world look like if each
of us grew to be a non-judgmental, missionary disciple of only God’s grace, love and
compassion…and thus lived a life that continually entered into an “encounter with the sacred
mystery of the other”