Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 7, 2013 - Thursday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 12:18-19, 21-24 and Mark 6:7-13]Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits....With that they went off, preaching the need for repentance. They expelled many demons, anointed the sick with oil, and worked many cures.
We are presented today with the fact that disciples can't just spend their lives listening. Eventually disciples must act. The Twelve are judged byJesus ready to undertake ministry. It's not as extensive as Jesus' ministry - they are not given the authority to teach! But they are given authority over unclean spirits, to preach repentance and to heal. That's a lot in itself.
For the past several days, I have been preaching a parish mission at a parish on the Mississippi Gulf Coasst. I have been urging the parishioners to realize the power of their own baptism. All of us who have been baptized have received a spirit of power that enables us to share in Christ's ministry. No, we are not ordained to service like deacons and priests, but we are able to speak and to reach out in healing ways to our brothers and sisters. This power is known as the "priesthood of the laity" or the "priesthood of the baptized." We have been "commissioned" by our baptism to bear witness to the faith by what we say and do. Each time we enter a Catholic church and touch the holy water font and make the sign of the cross, we should be reminding ourselves of our baptism and our status as members of the Body of Christ, which enables us to share in his ministry. In other words, our faith is not something private, to be kept only within the bounds of rituals performed in a church building. There is work to be done - the ministry of the Lord. AMEN
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