Memorial of Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to hear your call to deeper discipleship through an ongoing repentance and conversion.

Encountering Christ:

1. Set Apart: Jesus’s call is intentional, personal, and specific, and yet we are never sent out alone. I reflect on the Apostles receiving the commission to go two by two, to preach repentance, cast out demons, and cure the sick. In the newness of their mission, the Twelve discovered strength in exercising their authority and gifts with the support of a companion. They also experienced a certain power that comes with the authority given to them, as well as the charism of healing. But that authority needed to be accepted in humility, recognizing that they were given what they had received. They also discovered that authority is sometimes rejected. They were not always welcomed to exercise their God-given and commissioned gifts. In community, they were able to bolster up one another to persevere in the difficult task. Lord, I ask for light to see the gifts you have given to me: a community that encourages me in my mission, a particular role of authority that I play in family, at work, among friends. Am I humble? Do I respect and respond to the authority that others exercise legitimately? How do I support others within my faith community to live out the gifts they have received?

    

2. The Call to Repentance: When you hear the Apostles calling out for repentance, how does that fall upon your ears? The call to repentance comes to us through many channels and invites us to an ongoing process of deeper conversion. Perhaps it comes through a priest’s homily, through a conversation with a friend or spouse, or through an awakened conscience to the subtle idols that have planted themselves in our hearts, idols of control, self-sufficiency, vanity, sensuality, etc. The Lord is always challenging us to let go of our egotism and self-centeredness a little bit more and to make more room for a total abandonment to his ways. Lord, rid me of those subtle idols that relegate you to the side of my heart rather than enthrone you in the center

    

3. Learning to Surrender: The Apostles were challenged to take the bare necessities to the mission. They were to rely on the strength that comes from being commissioned by Jesus. They needed to learn to trust in God’s Providence to provide for them as they walked the path of discipleship. Life circumstances, favorable or unfavorable, will be the threads that God weaves into his ultimate plan. The Apostles needed to lend themselves in obedience to what Jesus asked of them and trust that, in the grand scheme of things, all would be well. Jesus does not fear the same things we fear: rejection, lack of material items, failure to win over all the people we encounter. He works through the sincere heart of a humble and surrendered disciple.

Conversing with Christ: Show me the way of being a disciple in this world, with the simple gifts and opportunities that you give me daily. Help me to exercise my daily duty, that little realm of authority you entrust to me, with humility and trust. I want to be a part of your mission, surrendering to your grace and encouraging others to give the gift of themselves in the mission.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will see all situations as opportunities for deeper conversion and mission.

Jennifer Ristine is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi who is dedicated to spiritual and faith formation through teaching, conferences, writing, and spiritual direction. While serving in Ancient Magdala she wrote Mary Magdalene: Insights from Ancient Magdala.