Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
“They set out and went on their way, traveling from village to village, spreading the good news, and curing diseases.”
Ready or not, we might say, Jesus was sending them out to spread the Good News. Jesus sent them out with little training (by modern standards in ministry), and the instructions he gave were pretty Spartan: “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.” In a way, these are rather severe instructions.
Jesus prepared them for their mission: he gave them authority over demons and to cure diseases; told them to proclaim the reign of God; and heal those in need. And, as the Gospel passage indicates, they accepted his mission and guidelines, and then they set out.
Perhaps in our day, more than any time before, we are stricken by Jesus’ instruction that they should take nearly nothing with them. That simplicity is striking, and we might be tempted to explain it away – ‘oh, that’s for a select few who are able to do it. We might think of the mendicant orders in centuries past, or Mother Teresa’s sisters today.’
Yet, how do we take those words of Jesus? Some years ago, a young seminarian commented: “you have all kinds of things.” To this young student, it did look like I had lots of things, and so it gave me something to think about.
And that’s what this Gospel does today — gives us something to think about. What does simplicity look like for me, for all of us, now? What do we really need? And what do we do with the things we do have? The words from Proverbs pose timeless questions: “give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need…”
So, they set out spreading the Good News and curing those in need of healing.
Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources