Readings: Exodus 3:1 -8A, 13-15; I Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1 9
The call of Moses and the mission that was entrusted to him by God as expressed in the first reading from the book of Exodus reminds us about the motto of our congregation, namely, “He has sent me to proclaim the good news to the poor.” The Israelites were impoverished and lived as slaves in the land of Egypt. God sent Moses to bring the people out of slavery. When Moses asked God how he was to speak to the Israelites about this mission, he was told: Tell the people that I AM WHO AM has sent you.” In my understanding, stemming from the above response of God to Moses, I would say that God wanted to provide Moses with some assurance about his mission. Thus, Moses was able to return to Egypt fearlessly because he was sent by God and had received assurance about his mission. God also provides us with the same assurance as he sends us out to proclaim good news to the poor, to tell prisoners that they are no longer captive, to tell the blind people that they can see and to tell everyone the incredible news that the kingdom of God has come.
In the Second reading from the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, we are warned against becoming like the Israelites who grumbled against God in the wilderness. In our mission to the poor, we ought to remain faithful to the one who has given us the mission and who sent us out on mission. If we, in the spirit of Vincent de Paul, do not remain as one with Jesus Christ the true vine, we will lose our perspective with regard to our mission.
The gospel reading emphasizes the need to be fruitful. The owner of the fig tree had wanted the tree to be cut down since it bore no fruit. However, the vinedresser requested the owner of the fig tree to give it one more year to see if after having given it the necessary care, it might not then bear fruit. Likewise, God continues to give us an opportunity to become fruitful in the mission that has been entrusted to us. In one of Vincent’s conferences to the missionaries we read: Our vocation is to go throughout the world to spread this divine fire to set people’s heart on fire, to do what the Son of God did. He came to set the world on fire in order to inflame it with his love. What do we have to desire but that it may burn and consume everything (CCD:XII:215). Let us not be afraid to take to heart the above words of the Apostle of Charity because God has also provided us with some assurance with regard to our mission.
Fr Augustine Abiagom CM
Province of Nigeria
