Eighth Sunday after Pentecost 
1 Cor 1.10-18
Matthew 14:14-22
During the Second Gulf War, we often heard about the city of Mosul in Iraq. But, did you know that it is mentioned in the Bible? Within the limits of the modern city, you’ll find the Ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh.
About 800 years before Christ, God called a man named Jonah to go and preach repentance to the people of the Nineveh. What did Jonah do? He ran away, getting on a boat heading west instead of going east. When God sent a storm that was about to sink the ship, Jonah had the crew throw him overboard, telling them that he was running from God’s call.
The Bible tells us that he spent three days and three nights in the belly of a big fish. During that time, he had the chance to repent, to decide that he would follow the call. So, when he was back on dry land, God called him again to go to Nineveh. So effective was his preaching that there was widespread repentance and revival, even as high as the king! And, as a result, God did not bring destruction to the city.
God had already given Jonah the skill and the knowledge to fulfill his calling, but he avoided it. In our Gospel, the disciples had the skill and the knowledge to feed the five thousand, one of the Corporal Works of mercy. And He gave them the means to do it, when they decided to actually obey him. Not only did He give the means, the bread and the fish, but He even increased it so that they were themselves blessed when they obeyed.
Look at David. A poor shepherd boy. Some Jewish sources suggest that he was the result of his father engaging in an illicit affair. His brothers appear not to have thought much of him. But, he was a good musician, and so he caught the king’s attention.
When the Philistine Goliath challenged the Israelite forces to combat, nobody wanted to fight him. He was a giant, standing nearly ten feet tall. Who would want to go up against someone like that? Not the king, not his army. Nobody - nobody except a little shepherd boy. David had a mission, a mission to serve God by defeating Goliath.
You all know the story. A kid, a sling, and some rocks. Against a well-armored giant. But, the Lord was on David’s side, and he defeated the giant. Eventually he became the greatest king in Israel’s history.
How does this apply to us? Are we called to fight giants, or preach in Nineveh?
The Bible speaks of three priesthoods.
The first is the Levitical Priesthood. They were the priests of the Mosaic Covenant, the Priesthood of Aaron. These priests had the task of ministering to the people of Israel in the Temple, with the Levites helping out in the temple worship.
The second is the Priesthood of the New Covenant, the Priesthood of Melchizedek. Those priests minister in and to the Church, administering the Sacraments, with the Levites of the New Covenant, the Deacons, helping.
The third is first mentioned in Exodus, before the giving of the Ten Commandments, where the Lord says, “I will make you a nation of priests and kings”. In his first epistle, Peter says that we are a Royal Priesthood. This is a priesthood that transcends the covenants, applying to both the Jew and Christian. In fact, as the Fathers of Vatican II put it, when we are baptized, we share in Christ’s office of priest, prophet, and king.
The world. That’s who we, as royal priests, are called to minister to. How? To begin with, we should practice the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Spiritual Works of Mercy. These are some of the specific actions we can perform, but there is also the context of our ministry
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes that God has given Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. That doesn’t mean that only the ordained - bishops, priests, and deacons - can function in these ministries.
When David sinned with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan - who was not a priest, confronted him, resulting in David’s repentance.
Think of St Catherine of Siena, a laywoman. More than 50 years ago, Pope St. Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Universal Church, a teacher of universal significance.
One of the original Deacons, Philip, had four daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
Paul repeatedly references Prisca and Aquila, two helpers of his in his apostolic work, and our Eastern tradition refers to Mary Magdalene as Equal to the Apostles.
And those ministries can even be filled by faithful non-Catholics. We all know of Billy Graham. Can we honestly say that he was not an evangelist?
But you may say that you don’t have the knowledge. St. Francis said, “Preach always. When necessary, use words”.
If you have to use words, there are two solutions. The first is to ask God to give you the words - and He will often give you just the right words for a specific situation. Paul speaks of the Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom, along with the Gift of Prophecy.
The other solution is study. Read the Catechism. Learn the Akathists and other prayers that are in your prayerbook.
God calls each of us to minister to those outside this building. We do it in the Spirit, through the ministry gifts. And we do it with the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Will you answer the call?
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