When we are spiritually free, we do not have to worry about what to say or do in unexpected, difficult circumstances. When we are not concerned about what others think of us or what we will get
for what we do, the right words and actions will emerge from the centre of our beings because the Spirit of God, who makes us children of God and sets us free, will speak and act through us.
- Henri J. M. Nouwen (Let it be so with you this day.)
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Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24; Psalm 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 9, 10-11 Mark 6:7-13 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.
Reflection on the Scriptures
In today's Gospel, Jesus gives his 12 disciples some rather stern marching orders: They are ordered to go out, two by two, and drive out demons and preach repentance. That is challenging enough, but Jesus also
reminds them that they are not allowed to take anything for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. At least Jesus let them wear sandals, but only the tunic on their back. This tradition continues today. Very early in their training, young novices in the Jesuit Order receive similar instructions. The Constitution
St. Ignatius drafted provides that the novices are to embark on a month-long pilgrimage "without money … begging from door to door … to grow accustomed to discomfort in food and lodging." In visiting with Creighton University Jesuits about their pilgrimages, many shared stories of how they were sent to some distant city to serve the poor or counsel
prisoners, with only $30 in their pocket and a backpack. All told me of the wonderful people they met on the road, often hitchhiking, as was the way back in the 70s and 80s, spending nights in homes of people they just met and asking for money to help pay for a meal or buy a bus ticket. Sadly, in today's world, it seems that two things headed for
extinction are communicating with strangers and trusting in their innate goodness. Our polarized culture is too often focused on talking only to people with whom we share our small worldview, and distrusting everyone else's view or comment. Maybe if we were willing to embark on a pilgrimage such as the 12 disciples did and the novices still do, without out all the "baggage" we carry with us of preconceived notions, we might be able to communicate more openly with others and realize that we need
their trust and understanding as much as they need ours. - by Steve Scholer
The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus, by James Arraj
https://innerexplorations.com/catchtheomor/resurrecion.htm Inner Growth Publications, 2007.
Chapter 4: The Resurrection of Jesus The Relationship of Body to Soul Let’s look at this issue in more detail. If we say that when we die and our bodies are lying in their graves, that somehow our bodies have been resurrected, what exactly does that mean? While the fruits of the
union of the soul with the body continue with the soul, it still appears to be a strange way to talk about the resurrection of the body. Further, while it is also true that the body receives a special being of union because of its union with the soul, it is hard to imagine how this being of union can exist without matter, and somehow be called the resurrection body, itself. These kinds of considerations become critical when it is the question of the resurrection of Jesus. Can we really say that
it matters little whether Jesus’ body remained in the tomb because somehow his body was resurrected despite of that? This an overly spiritual view of the body, and it is clearly not what the first Christians believed. Therefore to consider fundamentally altering their belief we would have to be on certain ground, and the rather vague theories about resurrection in death do not qualify. It is better to continue to struggle with the problem and see if we can come to a better solution. What this
amounts to is to say that the resurrection of Jesus is about the resurrection of a real body, albeit a transformed one.
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