My Dear People, 

In Mark 3: 16-19, the twelve men Jesus chose have been following Him for some time, so Jesus now gives them their first assignment “on their own.” He sends them out to preach, exorcize, and heal.

We are reminded that these twelve Apostles were not groomed for religious careers. The first four—Peter, James, John, and Andrew were fisherman. Amos was no professional theologian; he was a shepherd. Matthew was a tax collector; Simon was a “zealot” (that is, part of a terrorist organization). The former careers of the others aren’t well known, but it is safe to guess, like Peter and John, they were “uneducated, ordinary men” (Acts 4: 13).

God seems to like choosing the unlikely. Paul (1 Cor.26-29) states:

“For consider your call, brethren, not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Jesus instructs the Disciples to go out and preach and to “take nothing for the journey.”  There can be great advantages to following this command, literally. And thanks be to God there are still many who do. They give up all claim to material possessions and enter the religious life, free from property so they can be “open” to God. But even for those for whom this is impractical (for example—if one needs to raise children), we can learn to detach oneself from material goods.

St. Paul says: (1 Cor. 7:29-31) “From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy, as though they had no goods, and those who deal with world as though they had no dealing with it. For the form of this world is passing away.”

This Gospel passage elicits several themes that have been emphasized by Pope Francis.  Early into His Pontificate, the Pope emphasized the reality of the personal demonic character of the devil. Another important emphasis in Pope Francis’ ministry has been “evangelical poverty.”  Poverty and detachment from material goods are always salutary for the soul. Divesting ourselves of wealth clears our spiritual vision and frees us for administering. We are no longer concerned with the maintenance and preservation of all our possessions but can devote ourselves to spiritual concerns.

          “Take nothing for the journey but a walking stick! Whatever place does                         not welcome you, or listen to you; leave there, and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.”

Let us pray for the courage to strike out, to preach the Gospel, even if we do not know where the means to do so will come!

Jesus advises the Disciples not to continue beating their heads against a wall when the local populace does not respond. We cannot compel people to receive the Gospel. Good use of our resources, basic fairness, demands we move along to find who wants God, rather than fighting with those who refuse the offer. This is a biblical basis for reviewing periodically, whether there has been apostolic fruit from our evangelical undertakings; and, if not, moving on to address a more needful group or demographic.

Of course, we do not all have a formal commission to preach, exorcise, or heal as the apostles did, but every one of us who has been baptized and confirmed has, by the virtue of these sacraments, a commission to spread the Gospel in whatever place we are. There are those in our workplaces and neighborhoods who need to hear the good news. They need to be freed from demons and need healing both physically and spiritually. 

Never underestimate the good that prayer, fasting, and friendship can produce. We may not all be formally trained, but neither was Amos. There is a lot of work to be done, and there is a lot of good that we can do. Just as the twelve were chosen by Jesus, we, too, have been chosen by God when He gave us the Holy Spirit through the sacraments.

[From Reflection on Sunday Mass Readings for Year B by De. John Bergsma]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente