It’s really beside the point that the first reading for mass today talks about clothing and a lack of food and so does the gospel. Ezra talks about fasting and tearing his clothing and then Jesus tells his disciples not to bring bread or clothing, among other things, on their journey to proclaim the kingdom of God. Of course this is insignificant, but it is interesting how the readings for mass are often put together. Whoever put the readings for mass together usually linked at least the old testament reading and the gospel readings by something they have in common, no matter how insignificant it may be.
However, the main connection between the three readings for mass today is not insignificant at all. It is a bit unusual that we have a reading from the book of Tobit for mass today instead of a psalm though. The reading from the book of Tobit actually flows between the first reading and the gospel very well, when you look at it from the perspective of people that are in need of being redeemed from their sins. The readings are not so much about sin though, as it is about the good news that God loves us and saves us from the just punishment we deserve.
The first reading from the book of Ezra says that “God has not forsaken us … but has extended to us his steadfast love … to give us new life”. Where does this sound familiar? God loved the world so much that He gave his only begotten son to us, for the forgiveness of our sins and to give us a new life too.
The reading from the book of Tobit that we have today, instead of a psalm, says God shows mercy to His people and brings them up from the great abyss. “He has shown you greatness even there. Exalt him in the presence of every living being, because he is our Lord and he is our God; he is our Father and he is God forever. As for me, I exalt my God, and my soul rejoices in the King of heaven.” Surely, your heart must sing too, when you read these words? Someone should set these words to music someday because they are so beautiful.
Jesus also shows his love for all of mankind, in today’s gospel when he sent his twelve disciples out into the world to heal people, cure diseases, cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God. That is the awesome thing about Jesus and his disciples too. They did not just talk about the kingdom of God, they followed their words up with concrete actions of love and healing for others. This healing is something most of us long for today. Almost everyone has some kind of brokenness, demons that haunt them, or medical problems that are not easy to live with. We long to be healed and made whole too, but that may not happen in our lives here on earth, until we meet Jesus in heaven one day. There’s no doubt we will be cured and made whole by the time we meet the Lord in person though. God’s angel touched the prophet Isaiah’s lips with a coal and removed his sin and Jesus also removes our sin through the sacrament of confession.
There are a couple more things worth noting in today’s gospel. Mainly that Jesus told his disciples to “take nothing for your journey”. That was probably because they could travel lighter and faster without the burden of carrying a lot of possessions. We really need to think about this because possessions often weigh us down rather than free us too. We clean, repair, insure, move and store them, and work really hard to buy the latest gadgets on the market and this takes a lot of time, money and effort away from the things that are most important in our lives. Another reason Christ might have told his disciples this, is because they would be forced to depend on others for their food and shelter, which would aid their interaction with the people they encountered on the journey.
The last thing in today’s gospel that is healing for a lot of folks, is that Jesus told them that where ever they went that the people did not welcome them, they were to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them when they left. Christ’s teachings were not always about peace and harmony and getting along with everyone. He recognized the negativity some people have and did not force his disciples to subject themselves to it. Neither should we. Life is hard enough sometimes, without allowing other people to make us even more miserable. Don’t feel guilty if you need to distance yourself from negative people sometimes. Not everyone will accept you and welcome you into their lives and it is understandable if you do not want to allow their negativity to rub off on you too. Like Christ’s disciples in today’s gospel, we can find more positive minded people to associate with and not feel guilty about doing this.
