POWER AND AUTHORITY
Wedded With Love And Humility
Wedded With Love And Humility
God entrusts us with His gifts and talents. Then, with the grace we
receive, we are invited to share those blessings with others.
We learn from the
verses just prior to today's reading from Mark's Gospel that Jesus cured the
sick by laying hands on them (cf. Mk 6:5). The laying on of hands and blessing
others is very important in helping people who are in need of healing,
physically, and most importantly, spiritually. Today's verses tell us that
Jesus gave His Apostles both the power and authority to speak and to act in His
Name (Mk 6:7-13). They were sent to do the good works that would bring healing:
to cast out evil spirits, to speak the Word of God and spread the Good News of
the Gospel, opening hearts to receive Jesus Christ. He did something unheard of
when He spoke about power and authority. He wedded them with love and humility.
The "world" and the "flesh" seek power for selfish gain but
Jesus, Our Lord, teaches us to use it for the good of those around us each day.
Jesus tells the
Apostles to "travel light" (cf. Mk 6:8). "Poverty of
Spirit" frees us from greed and becoming preoccupied with possessions,
making ample room for God's provision. So what is the message for us today? We,
as faithful disciples, need to be dependent on Him and not on ourselves,
following the example of His first disciples. God entrusts us with His gifts
and talents. Then, with the grace we receive, we are invited to share those
blessings with others.
The challenge for
us is to ponder God's bounty so that we will want to join in praising the
lavish Giver, Who bestows upon us all the gifts of life. Uniting our voices
with the Psalmist, we too can proclaim, "Great is the Lord and wholly to
be praised" (Ps 48:2). With our hearts so moved, we will then join the
Apostles who were sent out by Jesus to preach, teach, spread the message of
repentance, cure the sick, and reach out to those most in need.
To serve like Jesus
requires love and humility!