Daily Reading
First Reading
Proverbs 30:5-9
Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
or else he will rebuke you, and you will be found a liar.
Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
or I shall be full, and deny you,
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
and profane the name of my God.
Psalm
Psalm 119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163
Put false ways far from me;
and graciously teach me your law.
The law of your mouth is better to me
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
The Lord exists forever;
your word is firmly fixed in heaven.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your law.
Gospel Reading
Luke 9:1-6
Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
Reflection
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus sends his disciples on mission. He “summoned the Twelve . . . and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” As members of the mystical body, we share the mission of evangelization.
In accord with the subjectivism of our culture, many Christians think of their spiritual lives in an individualist way, as the cultivation of their personal friendships with God. But this overlooks something that the New Testament authors took for granted—namely, that Christians exist not for themselves but for the world.
Jesus compared his followers to salt, which is designed to preserve and enhance something other than itself, and to light, whose purpose is to be set on a stand in order to illumine what is around it. Pope St. Paul VI articulated the same truth as follows: The Church doesn’t have a mission; the Church is a mission.
We go forth, therefore, with God’s authority and empowered for his work. When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, he will ask whether we have taught the world how to praise, how to reverence the truth, how to go out vigorously on campaign to extend the kingdom of God.