Gospel: Luke 9:1-6
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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Reflection:
How do you live in this world? Do you live with your trust and confidence in Jesus, or are you living with your trust and confidence in yourself and in this world?
When Jesus sent the twelve apostles on their mission of evangelization, He told them this: “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic” (Luke 9:3). What does this powerful statement of Jesus mean? In essence, He was telling the apostles: Rely on no one but Me, for I will provide for all of your needs!
Did they rely on Jesus? Yes, they did—except for Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him. The eleven trusted in Jesus completely; that is why they were very successful in their mission of evangelization. In fact, the majority of them even gave their lives out of faithfulness and reliance on Jesus.
This is a good point of reflection for all of us as we continue our journey in this fleeting world. On whom do we rest our lives? Do we place them in the hands of Jesus, or do we anchor them in this world and in ourselves? Life is fragile—we can leave this world at any moment. What if we die without a personal friendship with the Lord because we were too busy with the affairs of this world?
Many of us work tirelessly to accumulate temporal things. Some of us even sacrifice our Sundays, choosing work over worship, so that we can have more. And yet, in doing so, we trade the eternal for the temporary, the holy for the worldly.
But reliance on material things will only leave us empty. Even if we were to accumulate all the riches of this world, our hearts would still hunger, and our souls would still feel a deep void.
On the other hand, what if we rely on Jesus and build a personal friendship with Him? Then we are already complete. We become the happiest and most contented people in this world—even without material wealth—for the simple reason that Jesus is more than enough. His presence fills every emptiness, heals every wound, and satisfies every longing.
The truth is, we cannot bring the material things of this world into the next life. But if we rest our lives in Jesus, we are assured of eternal life with Him in heaven.
On whom do
you rely—on the fleeting riches of this world, or on Jesus, who alone can give
you eternal life? —Marino J. Dasmarinas
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