Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Lord Jesus, in the Gospel passage today, inaugurates the victory over evil by organising his “crew,” that is to say, the apostles, into specific modes of acting in order to be victorious over the forces of evil and anything which is not of God. Jesus gathers his followers together and gives very clear instructions. He emphasises that certain things, such as the love of money, external appearances, food, prestige, status, and the like, are not the most important things in life, and that there is something much more central needed to carry us through this life and into the next.
The Lord tells his apostles that the essence of it all is to have their feet on the ground and to live in the present, always aware of great compassion of God. The Lord tells his followers to wear sandals and carry a walking stick, a way of saying, be on your way and keep to your mind on what is in front of you, rather than what is behind, in the past. These instructions of long ago to the followers of Jesus are for us as well. We are called to work for the good of all and to fight against evil within or around us.
Perhaps the most import teaching of our Lord is about the importance of the spiritual. The material world is not the most important, though we often think it is, since it confronts us so deliberately every day. We are accustomed as humans to give a lot of value to what is passing, things like health, wealth and beauty. In social interaction, or seeking a job, for example, we know employers are most often looking for who “looks right” for the part, more than who might be the most qualified. This is of course a sad commentary on how the world operates.
We believe that the power of Christ over sin and death is more powerful than the forces of evil. In other words, we may be tempted, we may even fall, but the loving action of God, who freely gives sanctifying and actual grace, is ever ready to dominate our lives and bring us closer to the Lord who made us. We need only admit our sins and seek reconciliation. For Catholics this is most readily done in the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.
The Lord tells his hearers: “If any place will not receive you or hear you, shake its dust from your feet in testimony against them.” In other words, do all you can, be zealous and persistent, but there may come a point when there is nothing more that can be done, and your mission has to be left completely in the hands of a loving God. That is the principle of non-forced conversations, something that has not always been cherished in the course of the centuries of Gospel proclamation.
The twelve apostles eventually return to report their experiences, some of it good and some of it not. It is no different from our own experience today. The work we do, our fatigue or frustrations, the insecurity we may feel in what we are asked to do, cannot be denied, and must be given back to the Lord who knows and accepts our efforts, even our failures, always ready to forgive and heal us. God bless you all.