Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
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.

Nowadays we like to have everything under control, everything secured, tied up neatly; we want to live in peace of mind, and so we take out all kinds of insurance — life, death, car, home, travel, health, even pets… In short, we like to feel safe.

Jesus, however, sends us out with no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no spare tunic… Apparently with nothing. But what the Lord asks of us is to place our trust in Him alone — and this is profoundly liberating.

What makes a word, a visit, or a smile fruitful is not ourselves, but the Holy Spirit acting through our poverty. St Paul explains it with a beautiful image: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7). That treasure is Christ in our marriage. Even if we are fragile, even if we seem to have nothing, He makes His love shine through us — and in our poverty His providence is revealed more clearly.

This Gospel challenges us to review what we hold for granted. How many times do we put off doing good because we do not feel “ready”? How often do we think: when I have more time, more knowledge, more stability… then I will be able to…

Husbands and wives, we have a mission! We are sent to proclaim the Beauty of Christian Marriage and the Good News of the Kingdom of God in our families. We need nothing more than the love of God between us. It is not a matter of arguments, but of witness — that others may say of us what was said of the first Christians: “See how they love one another.”

Claire: Did you notice what your sister said to me yesterday?
Luke: What did she say?
Claire: That she was struck by the way you looked at me while we were talking at dinner. She said it seemed as though you were listening with all your heart.
Luke: But I didn’t do anything special…
Claire: It may feel natural to you, but to others it’s unusual. Sadly, it’s more common for couples to hurt one another with words, to ignore each other… and the way we treat one another speaks of God.
Luke: So… we evangelise without even realising it?
Claire: It seems so… She even told me it gave her great hope to see that such love is possible, and that it stirred in her the desire to love more deeply.
Luke: And to think that all I did was look at you the way I always do!
Claire: This time, as you say, we did it unconsciously. But now we must be intentional — our parish priest has long wanted to start a couples’ group and needs someone to help get it going and accompany the others.
Luke: Well, we’ve got no experience in this sort of thing; we’re only going with what we have — our availability and our gaze, hahaha… let’s go!

Mother,

Give us missionary hearts. We carry a treasure in jars of clay, but we do not go alone — you guide us and walk with us, and in the end your Immaculate Heart will triumph. Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!