Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 25, 2024
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere.
As Christians, we must surrender to Jesus completely. Our gospel underscores the necessity of our complete reliance on Jesus. Luke takes us on a tour between two vastly different ends of a surrender continuum.
One on end, we are shown that all goodness comes from God. Jesus grants the apostles not only the power but the right to prevail over demons. The diseased and sick, in their absolute helplessness and misery, are healed through the power of Jesus. The kingdom of God has been and is revealed by miraculous works even through to our modern day. I have seen how prayer can lead to incredible physical and spiritual healing in my own life.
Continuing the tour, Jesus is quoted and tells his apostles to travel light. Give up control. Trust that he, and only he, will provide even the most basic essentials. Too often, I attempt to exert control over every aspect of my life. Any diversion from the planned route can instill fear and dismay. But Jesus told his disciples, as he tells us, to proclaim his kingdom free from dependence on material possessions and positive outcomes.
The last point made by Jesus is the most difficult to comprehend. Jesus implores his apostles to leave those who do not welcome his apostles and, most critically, “shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Jesus did not tell his apostles to devote all their time and energy to convert those with hardened hearts. Herein lies the other end of the surrender continuum. Jesus promises those who surrender to his will and glory a heavenly reward with him. Conversely, those who refuse to believe and dismiss his kingdom will be left behind.
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. Amen.
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 and his image is used here with permission from Catholic.org.
St. Vincent Strambi, you single-handedly saved a city from Napoleon’s army--pray for us!