September 23, 2015
Wednesday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Ezra 9:5–9
Gospel: Lk 9:1–6
Jesus called his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to drive out all evil spirits and to heal diseases. And he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He instructed them, “Don’t take anything for the journey, neither walking stick, nor bag, nor bread, nor silver coins; and don’t even take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. And wherever they don’t welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet: it will be as a testimony against them.”So they set out and went through the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing people e-verywhere.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Jesus’ message to the Twelve carried four distinct instructions, namely, to heal, to exorcise demons, to announce the coming of the kingdom, and to leave unresponsive towns behind. (They form the acronym ‘heal’). A closer reflection will reveal that Jesus himself practiced what he was asking his disciples to do in the mission areas. Consider the following.
HEALING OF THE SICK. After Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, he healed all sick persons brought to him (Luke 4: 38-40). He also cured the leper who said: “Lord if you wish you can heal me” (Luke 5: 12-16), and the paralytic lowered down from the roof (Luke 5:17-26), He even healed on a Sabbath the man whose right hand was withered (Luke 6:6-10). He likewise healed the slave of the centurion (Luke 7:1-10), the daughter of Jairus, and the woman with a hemorrhage (Luke 8:40-56).
EXORCISM OF DEMONS. Jesus rebuked demons shouting, “you are the Son of God” (Luke 4:41). At the territory of the Gerasenes, Jesus drove out a legion of demons from a possessed man and allowed these demons to enter the pigs (Luke 8:40-56).
ANNOUNCING THE KINGDOM. When the crowd went looking for him at Capernaum after he healed many sick people including the mother-in-law of Simon, Jesus said he also had to go to other towns to announce the kingdom (Luke 4:43).
LEAVING BEHIND UNRESPONSIVE TOWNS. Jesus respected the freedom of people. At one time, the disciples asked permission to pray for fire and brimstone to fall on a town that did not welcome them. But Jesus did not support this violent reaction. In today’s Gospel he also instructed them to leave inhospitable towns in testimony against them (Luke 9:1-6).
Today, Jesus continues to call disciples to H.E.A.L. the world. The least we can do is to welcome them and support them. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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