In today’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus instructed the disciples “to take nothing on the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.”
This was quite a radical way for these first disciples to carry out their mission, but isn’t this how Jesus himself moved from town to town? He wanted to show them that it may appear that they have nothing, but what they carry with them is the important factor – their dependence on God. The reception that people in the towns would give them when they heard the “good news” of Jesus Christ would supply all of their other needs. This was a daring venture for those who were new to following Jesus, but we hear later what they did accomplish: they drove out demons, anointed the sick and cured them. All of this with so little, yet they brought with them what mattered.
This is the second week in the series on The Psalms. The presentations on July 18 and 19 will be: The Psalms: Prayer Book of the Christian Church. At Mass we pray a psalm after the first reading. Many people pray the Liturgy of the Hours or a brief form of it, and a number of psalms are included during these times of prayer. Fr. Bill Beaudin will show how the psalms have been included in the life of the church since its beginning. He will also talk about how we can use them as part of our personal prayer life. Two sessions are offered, at 12 noon and 6:15 PM.
-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M