13th Sunday Year A
Thirteenth Sunday of the Year A – Traveller or Traveller’s Rest
How many times have we heard that cliché of, “someone completing or struggling to complete their journey” or possibly how well they have done on their journey and how far they have come? We hear such phrases on “X-Factor” or “Britain’s Got Talent” all the time until we either wince at every mention or automatically switch off and pay it no attention.
But what does it mean? And especially, what does it mean when related to today’s readings. We hear about the traveller, Elisha, being given care and comfort on his regular and demanding journeys across the country by a woman who didn’t know that he was a holy man of God, a prophet. She just offered him support on his journey. And it was support he both needed and acknowledged. His journey was made easier through her intervention; through her care and selfless support.
His actual journey, his travelling and the work involved in that, was made easier because of her thoughtfulness – and no doubt, his ability to go about his work of God was also helped by this woman’s actions.
And Jesus reinforces this idea, this notion that we have to seek out ways and means in which we can offer help to others. And it is not just to those in obvious need. Jesus does not say in this piece – feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned and look after the sick – although we all know that he emphasises this message many times elsewhere.
No – here is telling us we have to look out for his prophets, his holy men and women, his disciples and do whatever we can to help them; to give them comfort and support; to ease them on their travels and on their journeys. Well, again – this sounds fine and dandy – but how many prophets have we come across? How many disciples have we seen in need of help? And we may know some priests and religious women – but really – how many of them do we come across in our daily lives?
We would all probably feel quite safe and comfortable in being called to account on this because at the end of the day we can confidently say, “But Lord when did we ever see one of your prophets, or disciples and by the way, your holy men and women stopped making house visits before I was born?”
And there is the rub. There is the problem, staring us in the face. Who is the prophet in our midst? Who are the disciples amongst us? Are holy men and women restricted to being priests, nuns, Bing Crosby, Audrey Hepburn or Whoopi Goldberg? No – The answer is a resounding – No.
When I complete baptism services, I anoint the children with chrism and I explain that this is a sacred oil that Jesus was anointed with and that we as Christians are anointed with, every one of us, at our individual baptisms. It is from this oil that he is given his title, Christ – the Anointed One and it is from this oil that we in turn receive our own title of Christians.
We are each anointed – priest, prophet and king. We are all given the grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit to exceed any and all expectations and limitations.
So then, let us revisit that earlier question of where or when did we ever see a prophet, or a disciple, or a holy man or woman. Every day – is the answer. Every person we meet is one or all of these things. And every person has the right to expect that help on their journey that Elisha received or that Jesus called for in today’s gospel.
Every person is a potential ‘little one’ in need of our care, our love and our active support. Now I know that this can make it just as easy to dismiss as saying we don’t know any people like this, because, now there are too many. We can’t offer help to every single person we meet. Can we?
Can we? Well, I would say that we can. We can and we must. We can offer one of the most contagious of things to everyone we meet – a smile. It spreads and it grows exponentially.
We can seek out opportunities to offer advice, counsel, direction, time, comfort and support in so many different ways – look all around you especially in the times in which we currently live, there are many other ways and means in which you could offer some of that most precious commodity - time – to help those in need.
It is far too easy to dismiss a scripture reading as being proper to someone else or just simply nothing to do with you. But – but – we have to think about what Jesus is saying and who he is saying it to.
He is talking about life, people and me. He is talking to me about how to become a better person, more like him and more like our Father in heaven. But we need to hear what is being said. We need to listen to his words and then we need to put those words into action into our everyday lives.
Bidding Prayers
1. That we treat each person we meet as though he were Christ Himself, with full regard for their care, their welfare and their journey. Lord in your mercy
2. That we set out on life’s journey each day with the intent of brightening every life that we meet, even if this is but with a simple smile. Lord in your mercy
3. That our world of travellers take time out to enjoy their journey and to share this joy with each and every person they meet on their journey. Lord in your mercy
4. That there is an increase in peace and harmony in our troubled world and an end to pain and suffering especially in war-torn countries. Lord in your mercy
5. That every person in our parish who is suffering through ill health of the body, mind or spirit is uplifted and comforted by the Holy Spirit acting though our prayers and actions. Lord in your mercy
6. That every person who has died recently may find eternal rest with God our Father. Lord in your mercy
7. That Mary our Mother and the Mother of our Saviour joins her prayers with ours as we now pray together – Hail Mary, full of grace . . . .