Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs
Lectionary: 326
Lectionary: 326
When the time of David’s death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.’”
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.’”
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.
Responsorial Psalm 1 CHR 29:10, 11AB, 11D-12A,
12BCD
R. (12b) Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“LORD, you are exalted over all.
Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Blessed may you be, O LORD,
God of Israel our father,
from eternity to eternity.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“Yours, O LORD, are grandeur and power,
majesty, splendor, and glory.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“LORD, you are exalted over all.
Yours, O LORD, is the sovereignty;
you are exalted as head over all.
Riches and honor are from you.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
“In your hand are power and might;
it is yours to give grandeur and strength to all.”
R. Lord, you are exalted over all.
Gospel MK 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Meditation: Jesus gave them authority over sickenss and unclean
spirits
What kind of authority and power does the Lord want you to
exercise on his behalf? Jesus gave his apostles both the power and the
authority to speak and to act in his name. He commanded them to do the works
which he did – to heal the sick. to cast out evil spirits, and to speak the
word of God – the good news of the gospel which they received from Jesus. When
Jesus spoke of power and authority he did something unheard of. He wedded power
and authority with self-sacrificing love and humility. The "world"
and the "flesh" seek power for selfish gain. Jesus teaches us to use
it for the good of our neighbor.
Why does Jesus tell the apostles to "travel light"
with little or no provision? "Poverty of spirit" frees us from greed
and preoccupation with our possessions and makes ample room for God's
provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on
themselves. He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. Are you
ready to use the spiritual authority and power which God wishes you to exercise
on his behalf? The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and talents. Are you eager
to place yourself at his service, to do whatever he bids you, and to witness
his truth and saving power to whomever he sends you?
"Lord Jesus, make me a channel of your healing power and
merciful love that others may find abundant life and freedom in you. Free me
from all other attachments that I may joyfully pursue the treasure of your
heavenly kingdom. May I witness the joy of the gospel both in word and
deed."
 Sent With Authority |
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Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions,
martyrs
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Father Alex Yeung, LC
Mark 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by
two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take
nothing for the journey but a walking stick -- no food, no sack, no money in
their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He
said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave
from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there
and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." So they
went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they
anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Introductory
Prayer: Father, I come before you today hungry for all the graces you
desire for me in this meditation. I believe in your goodness. I wish to
become more like your son, Jesus Christ, every day. I want to live a life of
self-giving love like Christ. Thank you for your grace.
Petition: Christ Jesus, grant me a
spirit of teamwork in spreading your Gospel.
1. Silent Testimony: Christ sent out his apostles in pairs. The
fact that the Gospel mentions this detail shows that it is not just an
accident. There are some passages in Matthew’s Gospel that can shed some
light on this desire of Christ. First, “where two or three are gathered in my
name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). The apostles are first and
foremost called to witness to Christ by their example. They are to foster
communion and charity among themselves, so that others, seeing how they
interact with each other, will be led to exclaim, “See how they love one
another!” The apostle-teams exhibited oneness of heart and soul, sharing in
common what they were able to procure: lodging, success, failure. With such
an attitude, Christ promises that he would be there in their midst.
2. Apostolic Teamwork: “If you are not listened to, take one or two
others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of
two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). The word of one person, who has
witnessed a miraculous event alone, is often taken as no more than the word
of a crazy man. However, if more than one person confesses to having
witnessed the event, there is much stronger proof. The apostles went about
witnessing to the things that Jesus was doing and the signs he was working:
healing the sick, casting out demons, etc. It is wonderful to team up with
fellow Christians in the workplace or in the family, in order to witness to
the work of Christ in our lives.
3. Two is Better Than One: Jesus makes it clear:
with regard to the mission, another apostle is much more important than other
material tools. Jesus teaches us here the principle of teamwork. An apostolic
“colleague” helps us to be vigilant against dangers to our health and
well-being (physical and spiritual). Prayer can be in community; Jesus
assures that “if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be
done for you by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). Working in a team also
helps to improve apostolic efficacy: Each enriches the other with the
exchange of knowledge, personal and lived experiences, and views on the
situation. Each complements the other, contributing their God-given gifts,
abilities and qualities. “Two heads are better than one.”
Conversation with
Christ: You sent your apostles out in twos, Lord Jesus, to teach me
about the importance of teamwork. Help me not presume that I am alone in the
mission. When I try to do everything myself, sometimes it may be out of
subtle pride. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the gift of apostolic colleagues.
Increase in my heart true fraternal charity for those who work alongside me
in building up your kingdom, so that the world may believe.
Resolution: I will make it a point to
involve an apostolic colleague in my effort to help some friend or family
member encounter Christ.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, MARK 6:7-13
(1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12; Psalm: 1 Chronicles 29)  KEY VERSE: "Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them" (v 11). READING: Having been rejected by his neighbors, Jesus continued to teach in the area around Nazareth. He summoned his disciples and sent them out in pairs to preach repentance and to heal in the power and authority of his name (the Greek word for “apostle” means “one sent out”). These men had followed Jesus, and now they were sent out ahead of him. Jesus instructed them not to take along excess baggage, but to trust in God's providence and the hospitality of others. If their message was not received, Jesus' disciples were to leave that place, emptying the dust from their shoes as a testimony against those unbelievers (a Jewish custom when returning from a pagan land). Empowered by Jesus, the new missionaries set out to announce God's reign. As Jesus' reputation spread, King Herod wondered, who was this mighty one who performed such works? REFLECTING: Does my life-style bear witness to the Gospel? PRAYING: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to hear and act on your words.
Memorial of Paul Miki, priest and martyr,
and his companions, martyrs
 Paul Miki was one of the Martyrs of Nagasaki. The son of the military leader Miki Handayu, Paul felt a call to religious life and entered the Jesuits in 1580. A successful evangelist, the political climate became hostile to Christianity, and he was soon arrested. On his way to martyrdom, he and the other imprisoned Christians were marched 600 miles so they could be a lesson to their countrymen. On the way they sang the Te Deum. Paul Miki's last sermon was delivered from the cross: The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason that I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain. |
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Leading Others
God calls us to be obedient to him. While we should be respectful
of authority figures, we can’t let them get in the way of leading souls to the
kingdom. If one manner of service is closed to us because permission doesn’t
come, we must find another way to minister.
Lord, you are exalted over all
He began to send them out.That strange little word ‘began’ has a lot to say to us today. What Jesus began with his disciples so long ago continues today. The same instructions given long ago are given to us today: not to be overburdened with concern for material security; to heal those who have been hurt in body and soul; to drive out the spirit of hatred and division; in short, to fashion a welcoming community of those who are disciples of Jesus. Christianity is not designed for self-centred individuals but for community-centred people who nurture the worth and self-esteem of others. In today’s Mass we are reminded that martyrdom is suffered for love of others, as Jesus went to his death out of love for others. We are all called to love.
February
6
St. Paul Miki and Companions
(d. 1597)
St. Paul Miki and Companions
(d. 1597)
Nagasaki, Japan, is familiar to Americans as the city on which the
second atomic bomb was dropped, immediately killing over 37,000 people. Three
and a half centuries before, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now
known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki. Among them were priests,
brothers and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits and members of the Secular Franciscan
Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans and servants, old men
and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his
Church.
Brother
Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the
martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross, Paul Miki preached to the people
gathered for the execution: “The sentence of judgment says these men came to
Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a
true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the
doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God
it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I
die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ
to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my
persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my
blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.”
When
missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s, at first they found no trace of
Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of
Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the
faith. Beatified in 1627, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862.
Comment:
Today a new era has come for the Church in Japan. Although the number of Catholics is not large, the Church is respected and has total religious freedom. The spread of Christianity in the Far East is slow and difficult. Faith such as that of the 26 martyrs is needed today as much as in 1597.
Today a new era has come for the Church in Japan. Although the number of Catholics is not large, the Church is respected and has total religious freedom. The spread of Christianity in the Far East is slow and difficult. Faith such as that of the 26 martyrs is needed today as much as in 1597.
Quote:
“Since Jesus, the Son of God, showed his love by laying down his life for us, no one has greater love than they who lay down their lives for him and for their sisters and brothers (see 1 John 3:16; John 15:13). Some Christians have been called from the beginning, and will always be called, to give this greatest testimony of love to everyone, especially to persecutors. Martyrdom makes disciples like their master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and through it they are made like him by the shedding of blood. Therefore, the Church considers it the highest gift and as the supreme test of love. And while it is given to few, all, however, must be prepared to confess Christ before humanity and to follow him along the way of the cross amid the persecutions which the Church never lacks” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 42, Austin Flannery translation).
“Since Jesus, the Son of God, showed his love by laying down his life for us, no one has greater love than they who lay down their lives for him and for their sisters and brothers (see 1 John 3:16; John 15:13). Some Christians have been called from the beginning, and will always be called, to give this greatest testimony of love to everyone, especially to persecutors. Martyrdom makes disciples like their master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and through it they are made like him by the shedding of blood. Therefore, the Church considers it the highest gift and as the supreme test of love. And while it is given to few, all, however, must be prepared to confess Christ before humanity and to follow him along the way of the cross amid the persecutions which the Church never lacks” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 42, Austin Flannery translation).
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 6,7-13
Lectio:
Thursday, February 6, 2014
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
help us to love you with all our hearts
and to love all men as you love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord our God,
help us to love you with all our hearts
and to love all men as you love them.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 6,7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, 'Don't take a spare tunic.' And he said to them, 'If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as evidence to them.' So they set off to proclaim repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, 'Don't take a spare tunic.' And he said to them, 'If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as evidence to them.' So they set off to proclaim repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel continues what we have already seen in the Gospel yesterday. The passage through Nazareth was painful for Jesus. He was rejected by his own people (Mk 6, 1-5). The community which before had been his community, now, it is no longer such. Something has changed. Beginning at that moment, as today’s Gospel says, Jesus began to go round the villages of Galilee to announce the Good News (Mk 6, 6) and to send the Twelve on mission. In the years 70’s, the time when Mark wrote his Gospel, the Christian communities lived in a difficult situation, without any horizon. Humanly speaking, here was no future for them. In the year 64, Nero began to persecute the Christians. In the year 65, the revolt or uprising of the Jews in Palestine against Rome broke out. In the year 70, Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans. This is why the description of the sending out of the disciples, after the conflict in Nazareth, was a source of light and of courage for the Christians.
• Mark 6, 7. The objective of the Mission. The conflict grew and closely affected Jesus. How does he react? In two ways: 1) Before the mental obstinacy of the people of his community, Jesus leaves Nazareth and began to go round the neighbouring villages (Mk 6, 6). 2) He extends the mission and intensifies the announcement of the Good News calling other persons to involve them in the mission. “He summoned the Twelve, and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits”. The objective of the mission is simple and profound. The disciples participate in the mission of Jesus. They cannot go alone, they have to go in pairs, two by two, because two persons represent the community better than one alone and they can mutually help one another. They receive authority over unclean spirits, that is, they have to be a help for others in suffering and, through purification, and they have to open the door for direct access to God.
• Mark 6, 8-11. The attitudes which they should have in the Mission. The recommendations are simple: “And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff; no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses; they were to wear sandals and not to take a spare tunic. And he told them: If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away, shake off the dust under your feet, as evidence to them”. So they set off. It is the beginning of a new stage. Now, not only Jesus, but the whole group will announce the Good News of God to the people. If the preaching of Jesus caused conflict, much more now, there will be conflict with the preaching of the whole group. If the mystery was already great, now it will be greater since the mission has been intensified.
• Mark 6, 12-13. The result of the mission. “So they set off to proclaim repentance, and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.” To announce the Good News, produces conversion or a change in persons, it alleviates persons in their suffering; it cures illnesses and casts out devils.
• The sending out of the disciples on Mission. At the time of Jesus there were several other movements of renewal. For example, the Essens and the Pharisees. They also sought a new way of living in community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt 23, 15). But these, when they went on mission, they had prejudices. They took with them a haversack and money to take care of their own meals, because they did not trust the food that people would give them, which was not always ritually “pure”. On the contrary to other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse recommendations which helped to understand the fundamental points of the mission of announcing the Good News, which they received from Jesus and which is also our mission:
a) They should go without taking anything. They should take nothing, no haversack, no money, no staff, no bread, no sandals, not two tunics. That meant that Jesus obliged them to trust in hospitality. Because one who goes without taking anything, goes because he trusts people and thinks that he will be well received. With this attitude they criticized the laws of exclusion, taught by the official religion, and showed, by means of the new practice, that they in the community had other criteria.
b) They should eat what people ate or what the people gave them. They could not live separated providing their own food, but they should accept to sit at the same table (Lk 10, 8). This means that in contact with the people, they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it was taught at that time. With this attitude they criticized the laws of purity which were in force and showed, by means of the new practice, that they had another type of access to purity, that is, intimacy with God.
c) They should remain in the first house that welcomed them. They should live together in a stable way and not go from house to house. They should work like everybody else and live from what they received in exchange, “because the labourer deserves his wages” (Lk 10, 7). In other words, they should participate in the life and in the work of the people, and the people would have accepted them in the community and would have shared the food with them. This means that they had to have trust in sharing.
d) They should take care of the sick, cure the lepers and cast out devils (Lk 10, 9; Mc 6, 7.13; Mt 10, 8). They had to carry out the function of “Defender” (goêl) and accept within the clan, in the community, those who were excluded. With this attitude they criticized the situation of disintegration of the community life of the clan and they aimed at concrete ways of getting out. These were the four fundamental points which had to give impulse to the attitude of the missionaries who announced the Good News of God, in the name of Jesus: hospitality, communion, sharing and acceptance of the excluded (defender, goêl). If these four requirements were respected, they could and should cry out to the four ends of the world: “The Kingdom of God has come!” (cf. Lk 10, 1-12; 9, 1-6; Mk 6, 7-13; Mt 10, 6-16). Because the Kingdom of God revealed by Jesus is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith in Jesus, decide to live in community to give witness and to manifest to all that God is Father and Mother and that, therefore, we human beings are brothers and sisters among us. Jesus wanted that the local community would again be an expression of the Covenant, of the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who makes all of us brothers and sisters.
• Today’s Gospel continues what we have already seen in the Gospel yesterday. The passage through Nazareth was painful for Jesus. He was rejected by his own people (Mk 6, 1-5). The community which before had been his community, now, it is no longer such. Something has changed. Beginning at that moment, as today’s Gospel says, Jesus began to go round the villages of Galilee to announce the Good News (Mk 6, 6) and to send the Twelve on mission. In the years 70’s, the time when Mark wrote his Gospel, the Christian communities lived in a difficult situation, without any horizon. Humanly speaking, here was no future for them. In the year 64, Nero began to persecute the Christians. In the year 65, the revolt or uprising of the Jews in Palestine against Rome broke out. In the year 70, Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans. This is why the description of the sending out of the disciples, after the conflict in Nazareth, was a source of light and of courage for the Christians.
• Mark 6, 7. The objective of the Mission. The conflict grew and closely affected Jesus. How does he react? In two ways: 1) Before the mental obstinacy of the people of his community, Jesus leaves Nazareth and began to go round the neighbouring villages (Mk 6, 6). 2) He extends the mission and intensifies the announcement of the Good News calling other persons to involve them in the mission. “He summoned the Twelve, and began to send them out in pairs, giving them authority over unclean spirits”. The objective of the mission is simple and profound. The disciples participate in the mission of Jesus. They cannot go alone, they have to go in pairs, two by two, because two persons represent the community better than one alone and they can mutually help one another. They receive authority over unclean spirits, that is, they have to be a help for others in suffering and, through purification, and they have to open the door for direct access to God.
• Mark 6, 8-11. The attitudes which they should have in the Mission. The recommendations are simple: “And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff; no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses; they were to wear sandals and not to take a spare tunic. And he told them: If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away, shake off the dust under your feet, as evidence to them”. So they set off. It is the beginning of a new stage. Now, not only Jesus, but the whole group will announce the Good News of God to the people. If the preaching of Jesus caused conflict, much more now, there will be conflict with the preaching of the whole group. If the mystery was already great, now it will be greater since the mission has been intensified.
• Mark 6, 12-13. The result of the mission. “So they set off to proclaim repentance, and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.” To announce the Good News, produces conversion or a change in persons, it alleviates persons in their suffering; it cures illnesses and casts out devils.
• The sending out of the disciples on Mission. At the time of Jesus there were several other movements of renewal. For example, the Essens and the Pharisees. They also sought a new way of living in community and they had their own missionaries (cf. Mt 23, 15). But these, when they went on mission, they had prejudices. They took with them a haversack and money to take care of their own meals, because they did not trust the food that people would give them, which was not always ritually “pure”. On the contrary to other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus received diverse recommendations which helped to understand the fundamental points of the mission of announcing the Good News, which they received from Jesus and which is also our mission:
a) They should go without taking anything. They should take nothing, no haversack, no money, no staff, no bread, no sandals, not two tunics. That meant that Jesus obliged them to trust in hospitality. Because one who goes without taking anything, goes because he trusts people and thinks that he will be well received. With this attitude they criticized the laws of exclusion, taught by the official religion, and showed, by means of the new practice, that they in the community had other criteria.
b) They should eat what people ate or what the people gave them. They could not live separated providing their own food, but they should accept to sit at the same table (Lk 10, 8). This means that in contact with the people, they should not be afraid of losing the purity as it was taught at that time. With this attitude they criticized the laws of purity which were in force and showed, by means of the new practice, that they had another type of access to purity, that is, intimacy with God.
c) They should remain in the first house that welcomed them. They should live together in a stable way and not go from house to house. They should work like everybody else and live from what they received in exchange, “because the labourer deserves his wages” (Lk 10, 7). In other words, they should participate in the life and in the work of the people, and the people would have accepted them in the community and would have shared the food with them. This means that they had to have trust in sharing.
d) They should take care of the sick, cure the lepers and cast out devils (Lk 10, 9; Mc 6, 7.13; Mt 10, 8). They had to carry out the function of “Defender” (goêl) and accept within the clan, in the community, those who were excluded. With this attitude they criticized the situation of disintegration of the community life of the clan and they aimed at concrete ways of getting out. These were the four fundamental points which had to give impulse to the attitude of the missionaries who announced the Good News of God, in the name of Jesus: hospitality, communion, sharing and acceptance of the excluded (defender, goêl). If these four requirements were respected, they could and should cry out to the four ends of the world: “The Kingdom of God has come!” (cf. Lk 10, 1-12; 9, 1-6; Mk 6, 7-13; Mt 10, 6-16). Because the Kingdom of God revealed by Jesus is not a doctrine, nor a catechism, nor a law. The Kingdom of God comes and becomes present when persons, motivated by their faith in Jesus, decide to live in community to give witness and to manifest to all that God is Father and Mother and that, therefore, we human beings are brothers and sisters among us. Jesus wanted that the local community would again be an expression of the Covenant, of the Kingdom, of the love of God the Father, who makes all of us brothers and sisters.
4) Personal questions
• Do you participate in the mission as a disciple of Jesus?
• Which point of the mission of the apostles is more important for us today? Why?
• Do you participate in the mission as a disciple of Jesus?
• Which point of the mission of the apostles is more important for us today? Why?
5) Concluding prayer
Great is Yahweh and most worthy of praise in the city of our God,
the holy mountain,
towering in beauty,
the joy of the whole world. (Ps 48,1-2)
Great is Yahweh and most worthy of praise in the city of our God,
the holy mountain,
towering in beauty,
the joy of the whole world. (Ps 48,1-2)
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