Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 25, 2019
Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
Traveling is my passion. From a young age, I would travel far and wide with my family. Now, as a young adult, I travel on my own or with friends, eager to see as much of the world as I can. Unfortunately, I have one major fault as a regular traveller: I am a notorious over-packer. I am that person who is prepared for anything and everything. If I think there’s even a chance that I might need something, I’m taking it with me. It would be best, I think, not to need any help or assistance when I’m on the road.
You can imagine that this Gospel gives me pause. Why would Jesus have asked his disciples, his friends, not to take their own supplies, but to rely on the uncertain response of the people they meet along the way? Yet this story doesn’t end with the disciples starving or suffering; it ends with their great success.
The disciples trust Jesus, and so they follow his instructions to trust in the mercy and compassion of others. The result is genuine communion, a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven: even as the disciples share their gifts of healing and good news, they must depend on those they serve to fill their most basic needs. I may shrug off my packing tendencies as harmless, but in my devotion to self-reliance I close myself off from that shared connection with my own companions on the journey. Perhaps in traveling through life with a lighter load, I may find myself traveling through life with a more open heart.
Prayer
Guide us Lord, in the way of your commands: Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the way of the Lord. Lead us, Lord, in the path of your commands, for in them we take delight.
Saint of the Day
While St. Vincent Strambi was a bishop who single-handedly saved a city from Napoleon’s army, he is honored even more for so faithfully loving the Christian flock he was charged to shepherd.
The son of a pharmacist, Vincent Strambi was born in Italy in 1745. As a boy, Vincent liked to play practical jokes. The plucky good nature that inspired him to constantly prank his friends also inspired him to give away his own overcoat or shoes to any homeless child he encountered.
His parents saw his faithfulness, even at his young age, and decided that he would become a diocesan priest. Vincent made a retreat before his ordination, which was led by St. Paul of the Cross, who founded the Passionist order of priests, and he decided to enter that religious community instead. His parents strongly objected, which led to a prolonged confrontation between them and Vincent.
As soon as he was ordained a Passionist priest, Vincent was asked to become a leader by teaching theology and preaching to seminarians and filling administrative roles in the Passionist community. He led the Passionist community for 20 years before being elected bishop of Macareta-Tolentino, Italy.
The virtues which ruled Vincent's life as a bishop were zeal and discipline, and these virtues enriched the lives of the priests and laity of his diocese. As bishop, Vincent was especially attentive to the people in his care during both a typhoid epidemic and when a famine struck the city. In 1808, he was commanded to take an oath of obedience to Napoleon, but St. Vincent refused, and was accordingly expelled from his diocese. He continued to guide his people through correspondence.
Five years later, Napoleon was deposed and exiled, and Vincent returned to his diocese. Soon after, however, Napoleon escaped his imprisonment and, with 30,000 soldiers, occupied Macerata as his headquarters. His troops were defeated in the Battle of Tolentino and returned to sack and loot this city in their path of retreat. But Vincent went into the streets to plead with them—his courage saved the city.
After retiring as bishop, he moved to the Vatican to serve as an advisor to the Pope. He remained faithful to prayer and penance, and he died at the age of seventy-nine in 1824. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Vincent Strambi, you single-handedly saved a city from Napoleon’s army—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Vincent Strambi is in the public domain. Last accessed April 3, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
