The WORD in Other Words by Sister Frances Grace Solis SSpS (Philippines)
Wednesday Week 25 Ordinary Time, Ez 9:5-9, Lk 9:1-6
At an Educators‘ Convention, we were told: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” Thus the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared” and Abraham Lincoln saying, “If I have eight hours to chop down a tree, 1‘ll spend six hours sharpening my ax.”
What does Jesus say about preparedness in today‘s gospel? St. Luke narrates how the “Greatest Missionary of All Times” sent His apostles for their first missionary journey with this two-fold mandate: to proclaim the Good News that the Kingdom of God was at hand, and to heal the sick, which included casting out demons and raising the dead. They were to minister to the spiritual (preaching) and physical (healing) needs of the people. Jesus told them not to bring a staff, nor a sack, food, money, a second tunic. They had to depend on people for their lodging, food, etc.
Humanly speaking, one may ask, ” What kind of preparation for a journey is this?” Jesus was training the apostles to trust Him fully for their daily needs, to be totally dependent on Him and not on themselves. After receiving the instructions, the Twelve departed and did what Jesus told them. Their obedience was admirable.
Good lessons indeed for Jesus‘ messengers: To put their trust totally in the Sender and not in themselves, to attribute all their successes not to their own talents, skills, educational degrees, etc., for “All missionary activity, by its very nature, is the work and revelation of the Holy Spirit‘ (SSpS Const. Art. 105).
God‘s missionaries, whether religious or lay, ever grateful to share in the mission of the Divine Missionary, heed these inspiring words of the founder of the Arnoldus Family: “Deem it something great that God has deigned to choose you for His service.”
