First reading Hebrews 12:18-19,21-24
You have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God
What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. The whole scene was so terrible that Moses said: I am afraid, and was trembling with fright. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads more insistently than Abel’s.
Responsorial Psalm 47(48):2-4,9-11
O God, we ponder your love within your temple.
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain rises in beauty,
the joy of all the earth.
O God, we ponder your love within your temple.
Mount Zion, true pole of the earth,
the Great King’s city!
God, in the midst of its citadels,
has shown himself its stronghold.
O God, we ponder your love within your temple.
As we have heard, so we have seen
in the city of our God,
in the city of the Lord of hosts
which God upholds for ever.
O God, we ponder your love within your temple.
O God, we ponder your love
within your temple.
Your praise, O God, like your name
reaches the ends of the earth.
With justice your right hand is filled.
O God, we ponder your love within your temple.
Gospel Mark 6:7-13
‘Take nothing with you’
Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.
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Trust in God
After instructing the disciples, Jesus sent them out to the villages, two by two, to preach the Good News. He ordered them not to carry with them food, money, and a spare tunic. Why did He do this?
First, Jesus emphasizes that we cannot live our faith alone; we need to live it out within a community. Our faith is not a static collection of beliefs but a relationship with God that needs to be shared with others. At the same time, Jesus asks us to trust in Him. Our mission does not depend on our gadgets or how powerful we are; it depends on allowing God to work through our work and trusting in Him. Finally, He prepares us for the reality of human failure. Just as Jesus and His disciples were rejected by certain groups of people, we will find that not everyone will accept our opinions or values. However, Jesus assures us that whatever we do for Him is never considered a failure in His eyes.
Reflective question:
Am I ready to live out my faith in Jesus’ way?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
