Jesus sends out teams of two who have the mission to prepare the towns for his visit – 36 teams. This is also our mission in life: to prepare those around us for an encounter with Jesus. The mission is very specific and well defined. When I went to Peru on mission, I had prepare: learn the language, study the culture, prepare a budget, set-up learning goals, get a visa, get vaccinations, buy the plane tickets, pack my luggage, and define the start and end dates. Jesus had some simple instructions for those first disciples went out on mission.
First, Jesus sends them with very little for the road. No money bag, no sack, no sandals, and no greetings or gossiping along the way. Once they arrive, they are supposed to stay in one house and accept the food and drink they are given. No complaints about lodging or food. They must be truly centered on their mission. How often do we get distracted along the way by things that are not important? Forgetting that we are on the road and on a mission, we center our lives on things other than the mission. Our life as Christians is a roadway that should be preparing others to meet Jesus.
Secondly, their assignment is quite simple. They are to proclaim peace, cure the sick, and announce “The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.”
The people of Israel forgot who they were and their relationship with God while they were held captives outside of their homeland. Over the years and generations, they became distracted by their own sadness, sense of tragedy, worrying about food, lodging, jobs, health, learning a new language and culture, looking for the good times, and wanting to fit in with their captors. They were so centered on the distractions that they even lost the Word of God, the first five books of the Old Testament. They no longer knew how to relate to God or how to walk the way of holiness. Once they returned to Jerusalem, Ezra found the Word of God during the reconstruction of the ruins of the temple. That is the story we heard in the first reading today.
The whole nation became lost and separated from God during those years of captivity. Jesus established us as a Church and sends us out to proclaim peace, attend to the sick (mind, body, or soul), and announce the nearness of God’s kingdom so that no one becomes lost again. We are sent to proclaim the message through our life, actions, and words to our family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, fellow students, even to our enemies. This is our great joy: to be part of the Church and to be able to participate in bringing others back into a good relationship with God.
‘Peace to this household. The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
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