Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Mt 10: 7-15
July 13, 2023 | Thursday
Go, and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give. Do not carry any gold or silver or money in your purses. Do not take a traveling bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick: workers deserve to be compensated.
When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person, and stay there until you leave.
When you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people are worthy people, your peace will rest on them;
if they are not worthy people, your blessing will come back to you.
And if you are not welcomed, and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town, andshake the dust off your feet. I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than it will for the people of that town
Today’s Reflection:
The four commands in today’s gospel, to heal, raise, cleanse, and cast out correspond to the actions of Jesus as Christ the healer (Christus Medicus), thus establishing a continuity between the deeds of Jesus and those of His closest disciples. Thus, the mission of the Twelve to Israel is the continuation and prolongation of Jesus’ mission.
Just as the message of the coming kingdom and the power to heal has been given to the Twelve by God, so they should give those gifts to others. Of the ministry of Jesus, healing the sick and the ministry of exorcism need to be intensified nowadays. To be a healer and exorcist, we need to be whole, and we need to be integrated. Each one of us is called to be a wounded healer. What aspects in your life need to be healed, raised, cleansed, and cast out? /Vulnerasti, 2023
