When the Lord Jesus sends out his apostles to preach the gospel and heal the sick he emphasises that they must not be preoccupied by the thought of material possessions or what they are to take for the journey. Their mission was to be a spiritual one, and in order to carry it out Christ gave them a share in his own divine power over unclean spirits and sickness. Material equipment would prove to be a hindrance rather than a help in their work of proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was very near. Christ in this gospel passage was training his disciples to look at things from another angle. They were to concentrate on the utter importance of the life-giving message of salvation which they were offering to the men and women of their time. What was inessential, such as extra clothing or the like, must not be allowed to divert the apostles from the true purpose of their calling.In our first reading today, the prophet Amos defends himself from those who would prefer if he stopped proclaiming the word of God and moved elsewhere. Amos answered his critics by declaring that as a prophet he was only answering God’s gratuitous call. Almighty God had chosen him to be a prophet and he therefore had no choice but to obey his divine calling. The history of the prophets reminds us of how God is ever active for the well-being of his people, revealing his saving purposes through his messengers. The mission of the Twelve, as Mark records it today, is in reality a picture of the Church in every age. The sole reason for the Church’s existence is to proclaim to the world the closeness of the Kingdom of God, and she can only accomplish this, in her preaching and sacramental life, through the power of the Holy Spirit given to her by the risen Christ. The mission Christ left to the apostles and their successors, the bishops, is a spiritual one, and material goods, affluence and wealth must not be permitted to get in the way.
In the extended reading from the letter to the Ephesians we are told that by believing in Christ we possess wealth and riches of another kind, the sort that only God can give. By giving us Christ, Almighty God has lavished the good things of heaven upon us. Anything else on earth pales in comparison by what we have received from heaven. With Paul we can truly exclaim, Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…!”
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