Reflection for Thursday February 6 Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs: Mark 6:7-13

Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick –no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. 

He said to them wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them. So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

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Reflection:

What is the advantage of not being attached to worldly things? We learn to trust in the providence of God and recognize that the things of this world do not matter, for they are temporary and fleeting. We realize that our faith in God is more than enough to compensate for our lack of worldly possessions. 

Come to think of it, how much money do we really need to earn in our lifetime? There are people who work tirelessly to accumulate wealth—money that, if we are not discerning, could even contribute to our own sickness! And in the end, this same hard-earned money may not even be enough to cover our hospital bills. 

In the Gospel, when Jesus told His disciples not to bring food, money, or other provisions, He was essentially telling them not to worry, for He would provide for them. If God can provide for the birds and other animals, will He not provide for us, whom He created in His image (Genesis 1:27)? 

Many of us are overly concerned with material and physical aspects of life, such as the clothes we wear or the high-tech gadgets we own. Yet, upon closer reflection, we realize that we can actually live without these material things. 

Our problem is that we allow this world to dictate our priorities. This is why many of us push ourselves to work excessively hard just to earn money. But for what purpose? To show off how wealthy we have become? 

Jesus invites us to rethink our way of living, for we may have already become slaves to this world rather than His faithful and trusting followers. – Marino J. Dasmarinas