14th Wednesday in Ordinary Time
Hosea 10: 1 – 3, 7 – 8, 12; Ps 105; Matthew 10: 1 – 7
When Jesus called the Twelve to be His disciples and leaving all, they followed Him, it might be interesting to know what they were thinking, their expectations, their questions. But the Gospel is first and foremost about Jesus and only secondarily about the men and women who came into contact with Him. A great mystery is the call itself and their immediate response.
The Gospel today presents a most important event, an awesome grace in the lives of the Twelve, something totally unexpected. Jesus gave them His personal power, His authority for good over all evil – the Gospel states: “…over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and illness.” There was no limitation in their power, actually in His power in them for good. Summoned and then graced, they went forth and surely were overwhelmed by what took place through their word, their touch.
There is something important in this Gospel that affects us who have been called and who follow. The Lord is not in the least interested in spectators, in the merely curious; it is clear that the Lord Jesus calls men and women to participate in His own divine life in a most personal, intimate way. To follow Him is to enter into His divine mystery – nothing less.
For example, Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) Participating in the very life of Jesus is not painless, not without detachment and personal surrender and yet, at the same time, is a journey of inner freedom, of that peace of coming to know the Lord. Simply put: it is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
In this Holy Eucharist, what could be clearer of participating in the mystery of the Lord than in our personal reception of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus. In this moment, in a most visible, most personal way God declares you, me to be His and we in turn declare Him to be ours. This is the height, the depth, the summit of participation in the Lord in this life.
The journey of participating in the Mystery of the Lord begins in time, at our Baptism and this most awesome grace, this incomprehensible relationship continues into eternity. We are, by God’s gracious mercy, on this journey.
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