Sacred Scripture
Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” (Matthew 10:7-15)
Reflection
Our life is a journey from God to God.
How we travel that journey are the indices of the final destination.
As Jesus prepared his disciples for their journey, he taught them lessons which are important for each of us.
He told them to travel light so their focus would be on the work of God. He wanted them to understand that poverty of resources can sometimes allow the Lord to work more powerfully. So too with us. Where is our focus in this life? Are we thinking of what we should do be doing to further His kingdom on earth? Or are we so wrapped up in the materiality around us, or our titles, or our politics, or our own self-aggrandizement? All of those mean we are not as Christ centered as we are called to be
Jesus was also teaching them not to be over reliant on their own human resources, but to rely on the Lord to provide for them. The “value” of self-reliance is even stronger today than it would have been in the much more communal culture of Jesus. We have been taught to leave nothing to chance. We must plan for every eventuality. But what about our reliance on Christ. Is it truly there? How often do we step out in faith? Or are we sidelined by our determination to prepare for every contingency of life?
Jesus is the fullest revelation possible in a human life of God’s tender love. Yet, he experienced the turning away of people from this love, their refusal to respond to it in any meaningful way. When Jesus sends out his apostles, he warns them to expect the same. They are to proclaim the good news that the reign of God’s life-giving love is present, but they will encounter those who will not welcome them Jesus insists that this negative response is not to deter them from their mission of proclaiming God’s loving presence by what they say and do. So too with us. There are and will be times that our living out the Gospel will turn some away, that we will be considered a “bit much.” But how can His love manifested in the way we live out His command ever be anything but a source of hope, compassion and selflessness for each of us?
God shares His word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord, may the joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”
Daily Note
The instruction of Jesus for the apostles is His marching order for us as well; Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. In other words, Jesus is telling us to make a difference in the lives of others most especially the poor. Let us not be selfish, let us rather be sensitive to their needs for in doing so we bring ourselves closer to the Lord.
