Gospel: February 6, 2025
February 6, 2025 (Thursday)
4th Week in Ordinary Time Psalter: Week 4 / (Red)
St. Paul Miki and companions, martyrs
St. Pedro Bautista, martyr.
Ps 48:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 9, 10-11
O God, we ponder your mercy within your temple.
1st Reading: Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13
He called the Twelve to him, and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits. And he ordered them to take nothing for the journey, except a staff: no food, no bag, no money in their belts. They were to wear sandals and were not to take an extra tunic. And he added, “In whatever house you are welcomed, stay there until you leave the place. If any place doesn’t receive you, and the people refuse to listen to you, leave after shaking the dust off your feet. It will be a testimony against them.” So, they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent. They drove out many demons and healed many sick people by anointing them.
Reflection:
“Spreading the Good News.”
Each year, thousands of pilgrims walk across Spain along the various routes of the Camino de Santiago to the shrine of Saint James at Compostela. Once they begin, many realize that, in trying to prepare for every eventuality, they are carrying far too much, and so, they start jettisoning extra weight from their pack, having understood that they can only accomplish the huge journey if they only carry the essentials.
In the Gospel, the Apostles are traveling light, too. Christ has called them to put their mission of spreading the Good News above all else, and to rely on God rather than be slowed down or halted by trying to be self-sufficient. The Japanese martyrs walked 965 kilometers (600 miles) in ridicule and suffering before finally dying on crosses in Nagasaki. Yet, their vulnerability and poverty proved to be such a great testament to their faith in Christ, that it led to people converting to Christianity rather than turning away from it. On our journey through life, do we try to be self-sufficient, or do we accept our vulnerability and our need for God? May a simplicity of life show our trust in Christ, and invite others to trust him, too.
