May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for us.
Today in the Gospel the Lord Jesus summons the Twelve and then he sends them out, two by two. In sending the Twelve out, the Lord Jesus instructs them about what they are to take with them. The packing list is very brief: a walking stick and sandals. I will admit, dear brothers and sisters, that this reading disturbed me this week as I was unpacking box after box. Of course, I am not a travelling apostle. I am now a pastor, and I plan to stay for a long time.
Today the Lord Jesus does three things for the twelve disciples: Jesus calls them, he instructs them and equips them, and he sends them out. Today the Lord Jesus does the same three things for us: he calls us, he instructs us and equips us, and he sends us out. Saint Paul, in our reading from the letter to the Ephesians, speaks to us of our call in Christ Jesus. Saint Paul writes that we were called and chosen to be holy and blameless in the sight of God before the foundation of the world. We were called from all eternity and destined for adoption as children of the Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus. We have been called by God because we have been loved by God from the foundation of the world. This is the first part of the Good News that is ours to receive and ours to proclaim, that God has called us because he loves us and that we will live for the praise of the Father’s glory.
As the twelve disciples were called and chosen, and as we have been called and chosen, so too are we instructed and equipped. Saint Paul again reminds us that we who have believed in the Lord Jesus, who have been redeemed by His precious blood, have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. In the waters of Baptism and through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit each of us has been claimed by Christ and made into a temple of his glory. This means, brothers and sisters, that the very life of God dwells within us and that we have been strengthened to receive the gift of the Word of God, the Wisdom of God, and the power of God conferred in the Sacraments of the Church. We come to each celebration of the Eucharist and we are instructed by God’s word proclaimed to us in the Sacred Scriptures. We are equipped to live the life of grace by our common prayers and by our reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord in Holy Communion. The Lord Jesus instructed the disciples to take with them only a walking stick and a pair of sandals. These items enabled the disciples to keep moving, to be constant in their witness to Christ and to be constant in their proclamation of the kingdom. The walking stick and the sandals constantly reminded the disciples that each of them had been sent on a journey. Each of the disciples would have their mission field and each would face many challenges. It is that way for us as well. We each have our own mission field and we all face many challenges in following the Lord Jesus. However, there is hope. There is for the Christian, always hope.
In addition to the many words of welcome that I have received this week, I have also received a few words of caution. “Father, this parish is a lot of work for just one man.” To that I respond that indeed this parish is a lot of work for just one man. But, dear brothers and sisters, I was not sent here alone. Jesus sent his disciples out two by two. This was the greatest gift and the greatest strength for the mission, that a community would proclaim the Kingdom of God. It is true that I am the only priest in this parish and that means that I bear the responsibility for instructing and equipping, for teaching, for sanctifying and for shepherding. However, dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, we have been sent to proclaim the hope that is ours. We have been sent into this community to share the love of God. And we have been sent, together, to live to the praise and glory of the Father.
