Freely have you received, freely give. Do not carry any gold or silver or money in your purses.
Do not take a traveling bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick: workers deserve to
be compensated. When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person, and stay
there until you leave. When you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people are worthy people,
your peace will rest on them; if they are not worthy people, your blessing will come back to you.
And if you are not welcomed, and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town,
and shake the dust off your feet. I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and
Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than it will for the people of that town.

Reflect

“The mission is God's not ours.” If we are already becoming a true community-in-mission,
we must all the more realize that our goal is to participate in bringing about the fulness of
life to all that surrounds us. This “fullness of life” is captured by the Hebrew word shalom.
This word is normally and roughly translated in English as “peace” but more broadly, it
means to include all the beautiful things that life can offer. As a community-in-mission
that centers on Jesus, we are called to bring this shalom to everyone. Today’s Gospel
tells of Jesus’ instructions to his followers whom he sent to mission. They were to proclaim
that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They were also sent to heal the sick and to bring
the dead back to life. Because they received freely, they must also give freely. We may
reflect on the fact that, at the end of the day, the mission is God’s not ours. Nonetheless,
we are called to participate in God’s mission that the fulness of life may be experienced
not only in the life to come but also in the here and now.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024