Fr Kevin Kilgore

***

Gospel: Luke 9: 1-6

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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

On the surface, it seems as if the Lord is stripping his disciples bare, making them fend for themselves, totally reliant upon the charity of others. 

While there is an element of truth to that, on a deeper level, Jesus is building upon a Jewish tradition, which the Apostles would’ve understood. 

In ancient Israel, it was customary for a person to part with their walking staff, shoes, and money belt, and to cleanse the dust from their feet before entering the Temple to pray, allowing them to address God without any other distraction.

After leaving the Temple, that person could gather their belongings and re-enter the world.

***

By instructing his disciples to part with all of their possessions before preaching and healing, Jesus is teaching them to treat the entire world – including every person they meet, and every home they enter – as if it is within the Temple.

Everything and everyone is holy, a potential dwelling place for God.

As Christians, we’re called to maintain that same perspective, treating all as another Christ. As Jesus later instructs his disciples, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”

***

But we should also remember this: if the disciples are going out without a thing to their name, then they’ll need the good will and support of their neighbors along the way.

While the Gospel should always be preached free of charge, it is an honor to care for those who have given their lives to preach it.

Perhaps this is what the Lord is asking of us today: to see the world as holy; to care for the poor; and to support those who preach the Gospel – not only by their words, but also by their very lives.

***

***

Image credits: (1) The Order of Preachers, Independent (2) Sonlife (3) Hope with God Radio

***

Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers 
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Saint Augustine once said, “It means more for Mary to have been Christ’s disciple than to have been his mother.”

If you ask any mother, they will tell you that the bond they share with their child is inseparable. 

They carried their child in their womb; they nursed their child at their breast; they raised, cared for, cried over, and sacrificed in immeasurable ways for them.

And, I’m sure, would do it a thousand times over.

Mary would’ve felt the same about Christ her son. 

That first Christmas night, as she gave birth to him in a stable and cradled him in her arms; as she urgently fled with him into Egypt; as she looked with fervor for him in the Temple; as she stood before his Cross.

So, why is Mary’s relationship to Christ as his disciple more important than being his mother?

***

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is preaching inside someone’s home. Suddenly, he’s notified that his mother and cousins are outside looking for him, as if the house should clear out making space for them.

But Jesus uses this as teaching moment, clarifying the distinction between his earthly and heavenly relatives. “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it,” he says. 

Which is not only true for us, but also for Mary.

While it was her singular honor to carry Christ in her womb, Mary’s greatness lies in the fact that she followed Jesus as his first and most loyal disciple, ensuring her place in God’s kingdom.

***

You and I are invited to do the same – to hear the Word of God and act on it.

Doing so creates an unbreakable bond as brothers and sisters in Christ, ensuring our own place with Mary among the angels and Saints.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Seminary Now (2) Instagram (3) Church Investors Fund

***

Gospel: Matthew 9: 9-13

As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Jews hated tax collectors, who were often viewed as thieves, extorting money from their neighbors, even the poor. 

Perhaps worse was the fact that tax collectors were in cahoots with Rome, an oppressive empire denying the Jews their independence.

They had only one king – God. Paying taxes to the Romans through people like Matthew was a type of infringement upon God’s right as their sovereign king.

Jewish law even forbade tax collectors from entering the synagogue; they were thrown into the same ritual lot as unclean animals, robbers, and murderers. In a word, they were considered to be scum.

Yet it’s Matthew, the tax collector, whom Jesus calls in today’s Gospel, revealing the Lord’s ability to see deep into the human heart, weighing not only what a person does, but also what a person can become.

***

For the next three years, Matthew will learn how to leave himself and his desires behind in order to follow Jesus. 

After the resurrection, he will write one of the four Gospels, preach the Good News as far as Ethiopia, and there be martyred.

***

Two-thousand years later, as we read Matthew’s Gospel, we can still hear Christ calling us to leave ourselves behind, to follow him into a future yet to be written, paved not by human calculation or ingenuity, but by faith and surrender.

“Will you leave yourself behind,” the Lord asks us today, “and follow me?”

Saint Matthew, pray for us.

***

***

Image credits: (1) The Call of Saint Matthew, Caravaggio (2) Ibid. (3) Worshipgifs, Pinterest