His Word Today: Sent out two by two

Good morning everyone,

The gospel passage for today's liturgy tells us that after having spent some time living with Jesus, listening to his teachings and learning from him, he put them to the test. He summoned the twelve and to send them out two by two (Mk 6:7).  What would it have been like to be one of those twelve?  It's one thing to listen to someone else sharing their wisdom with us, but when we ourselves are called upon to share our own wisdom with others, it can be a bit unsettling.

Any teacher who shares lessons with us offers us a gift.  That same teacher can also test us - sometimes with questioning or with an examination of some kind - in order to verify whether the information has found a place in our brains.  However the rest is up to us: each one of us needs to struggle with the lessons we have learned, to question its validity in our own hearts and in light of our own lived experience.  Then we need to fall on our knees and pray about what we have learned, allowing our God to see the truth of the lessons we have learned in the light of faith.  Only then will we be able to confidently teach what we have learned.

Jesus knew that the disciples had barely reached the first level of this approach to learning.  Undoubtedly, they would have had many occasions along the way for questioning him, for struggling within themselves, perhaps even for praying about what they had heard.  Still, as they set out to try teaching others about what they had learned, Jesus knew that they still needed help.  That's why he gave them specific instructions: Take nothing for the journey ... (Mk 6:8).  Anyone who has ever set out on a journey knows that any baggage we bring with us can sometimes weigh us down.  Jesus wanted to help his disciples to free themselves from every concern that would distract them from the mission of telling others about the joy of their own encounter with him, and the same is true for us.  Jesus sends us out every day - two by two.  We are never alone along this journey.  He is always with us, and he invites others to walk with us as well.

Can we identify the baggage we try to carry with us?  Each one of us is sometimes tempted to hold on to things that ultimately weigh us down and threaten to distract us from the mission of sharing the good news of the gospel.  Can we let go of such things and dare to set out in search of homes where others will welcome us and listen to the words we have to share?

Have a great day.