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Upon Jesus' arrival in heaven, a vast host of angels greeted him. After the formalities, they asked him whom he had left behind on earth to finish the work he had begun. Jesus replied, "Just a small group of men and women who love me." "That's all?" asked the angels, astonished. "What if this tiny group should fail?" Jesus replied, "I have no other plans."

There is only one plan. And we are part of it, you and I. There is only one mission and we are the missionaries.

Today's readings might give us a different message on a first reading or hearing. The impression given in the First Reading, by the Priest, is that a simple shepherd like Amos has no place / right preaching God's message. A typical response of a cleric who prefers a closed shop and control!

The summoning of the twelve makes them sound as if they were somehow important. They were only the twelve because of their friendship with Jesus, and not because of their skills in missionary work. As we know, they too were of humble stock with no training in oratory or preaching or P.R. of any kind. They were ordinary people invited to carry out an extraordinary mission / task.

In sending them out, Jesus isn't very practical. Who can survive without food, or a sleeping bag or money in their wallets? What was Jesus thinking of? They were to head off with a stick. Was it a magic rod that would turn a snake into bread and stone into running water? Jesus was harder on the Twelve than Mother Teresa was on her missionary order! At least they can have two habits / tunics! The Twelve could not have a second tunic. Tough!

Now, you would think that this mission was set to fail from the beginning. God seems to have a persisent habit of choosing seemingly weak people to carry out the toughest of tasks. Shepherds and fishermen are chosen in preference to kings and queens, in preference to politicians and professors. If the Image Consultants or P.R. people had a say in it, they would be promoting the powerful and the rich, the beautiful and the celebrity, the sexy and the sales tycoon. But, oh, not God! God's ways are not our ways.

His plan or mission is open to all, the skilled and unskilled, the professional and non-professional alike. The central message of today's Gospel is that this plan can be executed simply and by all. We are all summoned to spread the Gospel - to forgive, to cast out demons and bring comfort to the sick. We don't even have to take the Gospel literally. We don't have to go hungry or without money in our wallets. The Gospel is not interpreted in its literalness. As long as we understand its message, that will do. And the message today is that we are all summoned or called where we are - rich or poor, professional or non-professional, teacher or student, priest or lay person. We don't even have to travel too far. We can be missionaries and bearers of the Gospel message where we find ourselves - at home, at school, at work.

God's plan is fulfilled in our everyday circumstances. Why? Because, as Archbishop Cassidy of Tuam, Ireland, once said, we are on the mission by just being. We are on the mission by just being good. Our missionary impact may not be as miraculous as the disciples in curing the sick. However, every little good we can do will help in finishing the work Jesus began. The plan goes on because the Gospel survives, and spreads because it is lived in different ways by you and me. And we may be the nearest that some people will ever come to the Gospel. Our simple, down-to-earth gospel-living and friendship with Jesus ensures that Christianity is kept alive.

We shouldn't forget, as St. Teresa's Prayer reminds us, that:

Karl Rahner, the German theologian, captured this idea in his writings, over the years, by saying that experiences of God, experiences of Goodness, happen not only in contemplative prayer, but also in the humdrum of everyday experiences.

You see, we don't have to look up to the sky; we don't have to be climbing up the ladder for God's plan to work. It is happening here, in this community. We can also climb down the ladder into everyday experience and help finish the work Jesus has begun. Amen.