Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority  over unclean spirits.
Mark 6: 7

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

We have responded to the call of the Lord by gathering together in this holy place to worship God, to listen to the Word, and to share in the Eucharist. When we leave, we are asked to go forth as changed persons, nourished by the Lord so that we can witness to our faith outside these four walls.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus sent the disciples out to carry on his mission, empowering them with his authority. In baptism, we have been empowered by Christ to carry on his mission as well. May today’s celebration inspire us to renew our commitment to the Christian mission.
 

Reflection

• Amos “was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores” (Amos 7:14). Shepherds are few and far between these days, but they are certainly more common than dressers of sycamores. Dressing sycamore figs centuries ago meant climbing up to reach the fruit and slitting open the top to hasten its ripening and make the fruit sweeter. It was a labor-intensive process, but it greatly improved the fruit. Amos had two jobs, neither easy but both important, and God called him away from both to speak out against the authorities in Bethel. These leaders grew indignant at prophets who came uninvited, for the court’s own prophets were expected to preach prosperity for the king and doom for enemies. In his new role, however, Amos pierced the power of the rulers at the top so that the country could blossom and ripen. Then he—together with the kings—could shepherd the people as a faithful nation.

• Today’s Gospel ends far differently from last week’s. Mark tells us today that “The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (Mark 6:13). Just last week, in Nazareth, Jesus “was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them” (Mark 6:5). First off, Mark emphasizes that faith enables the power of Jesus to be effective—“Daughter, your faith has saved you” (Mark 5:34)—and Nazareth held mostly skeptics. But it is instructive to note that six pairs of disciples journeying along six different routes were able to encounter many more people than one group of thirteen could. As Jesus’ disciples in the twenty-first century, we can encounter many, many times more people. In baptism we became part of the body of Christ, called and empowered to carry on Jesus’ mission, driving out evil and ministering to those in need.

• Talk about traveling light: no change of clothes, no food, no bag, no money. But what they brought was much greater. They brought the authority to drive out evil and to heal the sick. By not being dependent on material things, they could place their dependence on God. God gave them the authority they needed to carry out their mission and obviously that was enough, for their mission was successful. Let us not concentrate on what we don’t have, but on what we do have, which Paul beautifully details: adoption as a child of God, redemption by Christ’s blood, a share in God’s glory forever.
 

Question of the Week

Can I recall a time when I was provided what I needed to bring God’s blessings to others? Can I trust in God whenever I feel inadequate to the task?

-from the pages of Pastoral Patterns