Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel reading says that Jesus ‘began’ to send out the Twelve to share in his mission. The word ‘began’ suggests that it was the beginning of a process. Jesus would continue to send out his disciples to share in his mission. The risen Lord today continues to send out his disciples to share in his mission. Each one of us, in virtue of our baptism, is called to share in the Lord’s mission. We are called to be missionary disciples. According to the gospel reading, one of the ways the Twelve were to share in Jesus’ mission was by caring for the sick and disturbed. Jesus’ mission was to bring God’s healing and life-giving love to all, and especially to those who were broken in body, mind or spirit. This is the mission he sent out the Twelve to continue, and it is the mission he calls on all of his disciples, the whole church, to continue today. Whenever we journey in a caring way with those who are vulnerable and broken in some way, we are sharing in the Lord’s mission. We are allowing the Lord to continue his mission through our lives today. The Lord who sends us out to share in his mission in this way always journeys with us. It is his mission and he will always engage in it through us. Each day we can invite the Lord to come alive within us and to work through us, so that his mission can continue to touch the lives of others in a healing and life-giving way in our own time and place.