Read or listen to this Sunday’s Mass readings here.

• Exodus 19:2-6a
• Romans 5:6-11
• Matthew 9:36—10:8

Ah!  A week of vacation!  The Pauline family took this week to go up to the North Shore and soak in the splendor of God’s creation.  The trees, the water, and the brilliant blue sky drew them all in.  What a wonderful landscape outside their cabin window!  Because it was vacation time, Mom and Dad told their kids that they could sleep in until church, and that they would discuss the Gospel reading after Mass instead of the customary before Mass time. 

“Are we going to that Catholic Church just down the road?” Lucy asked, as she got up.  The day before, the family had been out scouting Mass times in the small, nearby town.  The family was on vacation, but God is never on vacation!

“We sure are!” Mom said.  “If we are all ready, let’s load up!”

The family found little Saint Peter’s Catholic Church warm and inviting.  They also had a special treat, for it was Missionary Sunday at Saint Peter’s, and Father Moosamba from Africa was the visiting priest.  Father Moosamba spoke strongly and proudly of the missionary role of the Church, and how the Church was founded by the original “missionaries,” the 12 apostles. 

When the family got home, Dad gathered them under an oak branch canopy near the shoreline and said, “What a special grace it was for us this morning with Father Moosamba!  As we read our Gospel passage again now, let’s be thinking about what lessons we can learn from this morning!”

Dad opened his Bible and read the passage from Matthew that the kids had already heard at Mass.  Everyone seemed attentive and thoughtful.

“Who wants to start?” Dad asked.

“I will!” Vincent volunteered.  “What really struck me in this Gospel is when Jesus says, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.’  (Matthew 9:37)  There are so many people who need to hear the Gospel and receive the sacraments.  Many vocations are needed.”

“Indeed they are, Vincent!” Dad said.  “In this Gospel, Jesus tells us about calling the 12 apostles.  These 12 men were the first to be given the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick.  They were sent out to further God’s kingdom and spread the Good News.”

“Which is a really neat point!” Mom added.  “The word ‘apostle’ means ‘sent.’  Jesus sent out the apostles to pass on His teachings.”

“Boy, those apostles must have been supercharged!” Vincent exclaimed. 

“And supermen!” little Hillary added.

“Well, we might think so, Hillary, but it’s not quite the case,” Dad tried to explain to his youngest daughter.  “The apostles were ordinary men who could do extraordinary things.  They were not powerful or important people in their own right, but average, ordinary men who responded faithfully to Jesus’ call.”

“All except Judas Iscariot,” Peter commented.  “He later went on to betray Jesus and wasn’t faithful to the end.”

“Absolutely true, Peter,” Dad said to his college-aged son. 

“And what a great thing it was to see Father Moosamba this morning,” Mom declared.  “His being from Africa really pointed out to me how universal the Church is!  From all corners of the world, all over the globe, Masses are being held, the sick are being cured, sacraments are being administered!  And that whole line of priests from all over the earth can be brought back in an unbroken line from the apostles!”

“That’s really mind-blowing, Mom!” Vincent sputtered.  “Every one of the priests can be linked to Jesus!”

“And that’s what is called ‘apostolic succession,’ “ Dad said.

“Apple-what?”  Hillary asked, scratching her forehead.

“Ap-po-stal-lick!” Dad laughed as he pronounced it slowly for her.  “Apostolic succession is like a chain that has links all the way back to Jesus and the apostles.  Father Jon is part of the chain in Minnesota, the Pope is part of the chain in Rome, and Father Moosamba is part of the chain even from Africa!”

“Wow!” was all Hillary could say.

Peter then spoke up.  “And another neat thing is that we are all called to help further the kingdom.  We may not all be called to the religious life, but we all have a part in teaching the faith and spreading the Word of God.  In our own daily lives, we are called to be ‘supercharged’ by God!”

“I like that!” Vincent shouted as he leaped up.  Then, standing in the middle of the family circle, he struck a powerful pose and declared,  “I am Vincent Pauline—Super Bible Boy!”

Mom and Dad sat back, watching in amazement.  In the midst of this tranquil, peaceful paradise, their 12-year-old son began flying about, whisking his arms over his sisters and brothers alike as he made soaring noises next to their ears.

“Ah, yes!  A peaceful, tranquil vacation … ” Mom and Dad sighed. 

And they went off to control Vincent before his soaring landed him in the lake.

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