Daily Reflection for Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Wednesday’s readings at this link:
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/092320.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the references are :
First Reading: Proverbs 30: 5-9
Responsorial: Psalm 119: 29, 72, 89, 101, 104, 163
Gospel: Luke 9: 1-6
Our Reflection on Wednesday’s readings:
“Take nothing for the journey …” Luke 9: 3
Jesus summoned His disciples and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. I imagine that was quite an awesome experience for the disciples. They had witnessed firsthand the power of Jesus. Now Jesus was bestowing that power on them and commissioning them to carry on Jesus’ work—proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick. Make the world a better place. With the power of Jesus, they would change lives.
If that were me, faced with such responsibility and the journey ahead, I would definitely make plans. Not only would I plan the most efficient travel route so we could reach the greatest number of people, but also what we might need to bring along such as a change of clothes and some food. I was raised with that old phrase, “we don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan.” I would not want to fail this most important mission.
But Jesus said, “Take nothing for the journey.” What? No plans? No coordinated effort for such an important undertaking? No, Jesus said take nothing. Why? Jesus wanted them to trust Him completely for their mission and their lives. With that trust, with letting go of their plans, letting go of control and the outcome, space is created for the Holy Spirit.
The same is true for us today. To carry on Jesus’ ministry, to minister to one another, we must turn it over to Jesus and trust Him. We need to get out of the way to make space for the Holy Spirit.
Complete trust and letting go is not easy. We have plans and contingency plans for the unexpected events in life. Often, we do not completely trust until we have no choice, until we are faced with something bigger than we think we can handle, like grief, tragedy, and heartbreak. Jesus asks us to turn everything over to Him, not just the big events.
Jesus knew how important every detail of the disciples’ mission would be, and he wanted them to completely trust Him not themselves, like Scripture tells us in Proverbs 3: 5. Jesus knew that ministry happens in big actions and everyday interactions.
Jesus wants complete trust in Him and space for the Holy Spirit, at all times.
Blessings for the journey!
Ruth Mytty