Doing Our Mission With Trust in God's Providence

Sunday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

July 11, 2021

Readings for the Day

Reading I: Am 7:12-15
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
Reading II: Eph 1:3-14 or 1:3-10
Gospel: Mk 6:7-13

Word Count: 413

Reading Speed

    Slow (100 wpm): 4.1 minutes
    Average (130 wpm): 3.2 minjutes
    Fast (160 wpm): 2.6 minutes

In Mark 3:13-19, Jesus called His twelve from among His many followers to journey with him more closely to form and train them for The mission: "to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." To fulfill this, He bestowed upon them a portion of His power.

In our Gospel today, Mark 6:7-13, Jesus having prepared them enough, sent them forth in twos. Since this was their first time being sent, He gave them specific instructions.  He understood that His disciples needed some provisions like clothes, food and money, yet He required that they free themselves from worrying about these things in order to effectively preach the Gospel.  He instructed them to trust in God’s providence for He provides everything they need that they may focus all their energies on the mission. They only need to rely on God's resources rather than human resources.  

St Augustine, in "De Consensu Evangelistarum", II, 30, said "By these instructions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists should not seek to live in any other way than by depending on what was offered to them by those to whom they preached the Gospel; otherwise this very Apostle (St Paul) would have acted contrary to this precept when he earned his living by the labors of his own hands."

St. Paul (1 Cor. 4:12) toiled and worked with his own hands. He earned a living as a tent maker (Acts 18: 3) while at the same time remaining zealous and faithful to his mission. Of course, Paul did not show his distrust in God’s providence by working for a living, but expressed his reliance on God who bestowed upon him everything necessary for the mission, including his skills in making tents.

Experiences of many ministers, clergy and lay alike, show that God truly provides for those who are faithfully doing their mission. Nonetheless, we also see some clergy who are earning their keep. Others are even doing more ministries to earn more stipends, more income. Yet, can we say that they do not have trust in God’s providence?  Of course, we can not. It is between them and God. 

To sum up, our Gospel reminds all of us, the clergy and all Christians, that we do not do our mission to earn for oneself but we do it to earn repentant sinners for God. The more we faithfully do our mission, the more we experience and receive His abundant blessings. We only have to trust God.

Fr. Joel R. Lasutaz, SSS

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