Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases
Jesus had himself become famous because "he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes" (see Matthew 7:29). They said of him, "with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out" (see Luke 4:36). He now gave his apostles a share in his power and authority, equipping them to proclaim the Kingdom of God. This was the way it continued to be proclaimed by Paul, who did not rely on "plausible words of wisdom" but rather "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (see First Corinthians 2:4). Words of any sort could be second guessed, but mighty deeds were more difficult to dismiss, although people still tried. Yet they were meant to recognize that "if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (see Luke 11:20).
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
It is not the case that this manifestation of power and authority was a short lived burst in the life of the early Church, that the Spirit was massively present for a few early generations, and that things have by now mostly returned to normal. We cannot concede, for instance, that it was more necessary then than now that there be such demonstrations. Nor has the teaching of the Church even tolerated the idea that miracles ceased with the age of the apostles. If we don't see these things very often in our day it is likely because we have become disconnected from the source. We all receive "the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (see First Corinthians 12:7) in our baptism and have it strengthened in us when we are confirmed. But this is a gift we cannot use merely to entertain ourselves. It is meant to correspond to the call of Jesus to go out and proclaim the good news in our own spheres of life. It is meant to equip us for a task. But if we ignore that there is such a task, if we do not listen for such a call, we won't know when the gifts that correspond with that call are to be used. If we remain connected to Jesus and hear him when he sends us out it is much more likely that miracles will attend the proclamation according to his will.
He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
There are times in life when we are called to follow Jesus without any contingency plans, to hear his word, and go where he sends us, even if we feel unprepared. It is not the case that we are called to undertake reckless endeavors according to our own will. Neither does Jesus himself always call us to go out with nothing extra. But he does do so sometimes. And we must therefore not rule out that fact that such a call might really be from him a priori. The things of this world, that give us stability in this life, can become a substitute for trust in God. And we sometimes need to put trust in God into a very direct sort of practice in order that he can show himself to be faithful in our lives.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
When we are on a mission from Jesus we can't allow ourselves to become distracted by finding the most comfortable house or the one with the best breakfast. That is a vacation, rather than a mission, which is not in itself a bad thing. But if we expect the mission to be a vacation we will tend to find ourselves too distracted to be effective. We will then prioritize our comfort over the need we discover and the welcome reception we encounter.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.
One thing many of us are not ready to experience is rejection. And an inordinate fear of rejection might keep us from obeying Jesus when he sends us out to proclaim his Kingdom. We might tend to expect that if we did everything perfectly we would only receive a positive reception. But Jesus himself explained that we will sometimes be rejected. Yet, because of the mystery of free will such situations are not to be avoided, and may one day lead to more than the limited part of the situation we are permitted to see.
The message with which we have been entrusted something for which every human heart secretly longs, something even greater from what Ezra celebrated in today's first reading:
And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God,
who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place;
thus our God has brightened our eyes
and given us relief in our servitude.
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