Let us never take the Lord our God for granted, even though His mercy and love will endure forever. We must constantly dwell on the goodness of the Lord and what He has done in our lives.
Yes, sinners, we were living in darkness. But the Lord has shone His light upon us and has set us free. And so, we who are His disciples must go out into the world to testify to His mercy and love and to bring about healing.
In today’s Gospel, we see how the disciples were chosen, not just to preach the good news, but to demonstrate the goodness and healing grace of our Lord, which is the good news in itself. Let us be confident that the Lord has empowered us to bring about His healing and the joy of the Gospel to all that we meet. Amen.
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First reading
Ezra 9:5-9
‘God has not forgotten us in our slavery’
At the evening sacrifice I, Ezra, came out of my stupor and falling on my knees, with my garment and cloak torn, I stretched out my hands to the Lord my God, and said:
‘My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my God. For our crimes have increased, until they are higher than our heads, and our sin has piled up to heaven. From the days of our ancestors until now our guilt has been great; on account of our crimes we, our kings and our priests, were given into the power of the kings of other countries, given to the sword, to captivity, to pillage and to shame, as is the case today. But now, suddenly, the Lord our God by his favour has left us a remnant and granted us a refuge in his holy place; this is how our God has cheered our eyes and given us a little respite in our slavery. For we are slaves; but God has not forgotten us in our slavery; he has shown us kindness in the eyes of the kings of Persia, obtaining permission for us to rebuild the Temple of our God and restore its ruins, and he has found us safety and shelter in Judah and in Jerusalem.’
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Gospel
Luke 9:1-6
‘Take nothing for the journey’
Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils 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 the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.
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