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| “The Twelve Sent Out” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1851-60 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Proverbs
30:5-9
Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a
deceiver.
Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, “Who is the Lord?”
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.
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Commentary on Prv 30:5-9
This passage from Proverbs, part of the oracle of
Agur (likely the name of the oracle rather than a person) focuses on humility
and trust. Trust in God; make the lived Word of God your protection from pride
and sin. This is followed with an exhortation never to forget that it is
through God’s bounty all things come. The oracle prays that great wealth and
abundance never come lest the recipient forget God and worship the bounty
given.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
119:29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163
R. (105) Your word, O Lord, is a lamp
for my feet.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
R.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Your word, O Lord, endures forever;
it is firm as the heavens.
R.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
From every evil way I withhold my feet,
that I may keep your words.
R.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Through your precepts I gain discernment;
therefore I hate every false way.
R.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
Falsehood I hate and abhor;
your law I love.
R.
Your word, O Lord, is a lamp for my feet.
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Commentary on Ps 119:29,
72, 89, 101, 104, 163
Psalm 119, in this section, is an individual lament
asking for God’s support in times of difficulty. From this, the longest of the
psalms the strophes ask for the psalmist to be strengthened in the truth and
given wisdom that comes from the law.
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Gospel: Luke 9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and
authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor
money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from
there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against
them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases
everywhere.
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Commentary on Lk 9:1-6
St. Luke’s description of the mission of the twelve
is also recounted (with some differences) in Mark 6:7-13 and Matthew
10:1-9,11,14. Because
of these differences (e.g. Matthew and Luke forbid a staff and sandals but Mark
allows them, and assuming that St. Mark’s Gospel was closest to Jesus words, we
can assume that Matthew and Luke were spiritualizing Jesus; instructions to a
point. Similarly, “because of the
necessity of shaking off foreign dust before entering the Jerusalem Temple and
the prohibition against bringing profane money into the sacred precincts (John 2:14), the passage can be interpreted
metaphorically: in all your undertakings, act as though you are standing in
God’s presence; enter the home of each Christian as you would the Temple of
God.”[4]
“Armed with
the power and authority that Jesus himself has been displaying in the previous
episodes, the Twelve are now sent out to continue the work that Jesus has been
performing throughout his Galilean ministry:”[5]
They are to rely completely on the Lord, being part of the world but set apart
from it.
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Reflection:
We ask this question; if nothing we
own has a hold on us how much better disciples would we be? Today, secular
society places such emphasis on having “things” that we see people from whom
those things are taken completely broken mentally, even to the point of taking
their own lives. Today we see Jesus sending his disciples into the world and we
note he tells them not to take anything with them.
We consider for a moment why he did
this. If they have nothing; if they are completely dependent upon the good will
of others for their sustenance, they will certainly be humble (we at this point
marvel at the Lord’s humility – him to whom all things from all time belong yet
so humble.). Nothing will hold them back from doing the right things. No robber
can threaten them; no angry mob could take anything from them. The treasure
they carry is in their hearts and souls.
We hear an echo of the need for
humility in the reading from Proverbs. The oracle says “…give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need; Lest, being full, I deny you,” Great wealth,
great bounty, distracts the faithful if it is allowed to do so. Consider for
the moment what many of us consider a basic necessity – our house or home. With
homeownership comes responsibility. One must dedicate time to upkeep, to
maintain the house; the roof, the paint, the utilities and appliances within
the house. All of these things require time, effort, and money that must be
made in some occupation.
There is a good reason religious
brothers and sisters take vows of poverty. They pray that nothing may tempt or
distract them from service to God. For most of us, poverty is an accident if it
occurs and we are somewhat encumbered by “things”. Our challenge is to maintain
an attitude where the things we need to contribute to our own upkeep do not
distract us to the point where we become arrogant or consumed by the material
world. Our prayer today is that we might focus our efforts on God’s glory and
not simply the things of the world.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used today is “The Twelve Sent
Out” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1851-60
[3] The readings are taken from the New
American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were
developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by
USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] See Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice
Hall, Inc., © 1968, 44:84 pp.140
[5] see NAB footnote on Luke 9:1-6
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