Today’s readings are about being called. Amos says he was a shepherd (and what we would today call an arborist) when the Lord called him away from his work and told him to go, to prophesy to God’s people. Paul in Ephesians talks in multiple ways about the followers of Christ being chosen, destined, etc.

In the Gospel, the 12 apostles are literally called, and sent, by Jesus. There’s no question what He is calling them to do. He summons them and then He sends them out, two by two. He gives them specific instructions about what they are to do and how to do it.

How often do we think about the fact that we are called? Each day when we open our eyes and a new day has dawned for us, we are called. We are called to rise, and then we are called to do something, often many things. Most days we have a to-do list a mile long and obligations that we take for granted, at work and/or at home.
If you click on these daily reflections, you are being called. You may think it is an act of your will, or habit, but you are responding to a call, an invitation. When my neighbor asks me to pick up her mail while she is on vacation, I am responding to God’s call to be of service. Likewise, when I resist the temptation to spread gossip or nurse a grudge, I am responding to a call. When we work together with a team to accomplish an improvement in our community, we are saying yes to a call. When you conserve energy and recycle, you are answering God’s call to care for our planet and our resources.

I think the Gospel acclamation tucked into today’s readings, also from Ephesians, holds a key for us as Christians. It prays that we “may know what is the hope that belongs to our call.” The call we receive each day, and at every turn, is not to merely accomplish a to-do list. When we begin our day by putting that list, those obligations, in God’s hands, we invite God to reveal the hope that belongs to that call. We are part of something greater that God is doing in our world and that gives us hope. We pray today that we WILL know the hope that is always available to us throughout our lives, the hope that guides us and sustains us, and enlightens the eyes of our hearts.