TAKE NO BAGGAGE WITH YOU.

TAKE NO BAGGAGE WITH YOU. 

"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 place 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 and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mark 6: 7 - 13).

Thursday February 1st in the 4th Week of Ordinary Time. 

The Gospel of today presents us a challenge to examine our lifestyle to see if clutter and bagages are hindering the penetration of the Good News and make us ineffectual disciples.

 Jesus never teaches a lesson He never lived Himself.  Like the Beatitudes which is a portrait of Himself, the evangelical poverty and simplicity Jesus prescribed to His disciples is what they see every day in His life among them. Jesus practices what He teaches. 

Poverty, disease and ignorance frighten many people. But the fear is altogether irrational if we consider a few salient points:

#1.  Jesus, our Leader and Captain is without doubt the best in our human race. If it is good for Him to be familiar with these human conditions , it should not be so frightening for us.

#2.  God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.  He will always take care of the essentials. 

#3.  Who owns all the gold, silver, diamond, oceans, lands, etc if not our God?  There is a deeper lesson for God to ask us to let go of attachment to all this stuff. 

#4.  God asks:  "Is anything too marvelous for me to do for you?"  (Cf Genesis 18: 14).

Jesus for excellent supernatural reasons "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." (Mark 6: 7 - 8).

Jesus knows that the greatest asset of the disciple is faith and complete trust in Him.  

If a disciple is armed with faith, he needs nothing more. It was therefore necessary to train His disciples at the outset of their ministry in this great truth.

"Fear is useless. All that is needed is Faith."  (Mark 5:  36).

"Christ chose to be born and grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The Church is nothing other than "the family of God." From the beginning, the core of the Church was often constituted by those who had become believers "together with all [their] household." When they were converted, they desired that "their whole household" should also be saved. These families who became believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world." (1655: CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH). 

Consecration of the Family to the Holy FAMILY PRAYER. 

"Lord Jesus Christ, Who, being made subject to Mary and Joseph, hallowed domestic life by Your ineffable virtues; grant that we, with the assistance of both, may be taught by the example of Your holy Family and may attain to its everlasting fellowship; Who lives and reigns world without end. AMEN. "— Roman Missal.

For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-holy-family-devotion.html

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com