The gospel for Thursday of the fourth week in ordinary time is taken from 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 plays 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, preached repentance. The 12 drove out many demons and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. When Jesus sends out his first disciples to teach the kingdom of God, he makes clear that they understand that they are the instrument of who Jesus has enabled them to be. They are not working out of their own stuff, but the things that Jesus revealed to them will be revealed through their way of being with people. It’s interesting, it’s personal.

They don’t just go and give a talk. They go and stay in their houses of people and they’re going to give that person an understanding of a way of life that they have never really fully experienced before. And that’s a life that has a healing quality, a life giving quality. And to all who are open to it, they will receive what they have been promised. The Closing Prayer Jesus, we are called to be disciples, apostles, those who bring the good news to the people who long for a new way of seeing the world, a new way of understanding who God is. Bless us with the confidence that is shown in this story, that is you working through us rather than us alone that are able to accomplish the task that you’ve given us.

And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Sat.