Word of the day

HOS 11:1-4, 8E-9

Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.

My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.

MT 10:7-15

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your wordsC
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

Jesus sends the disciples “to walk”. It is a journey, not just a simple “stroll”, but a relay, with a message: to proclaim the Gospel.
Then there is another path of the disciple of Jesus, which is the inner journey, that of the disciple who seeks the Lord every day, in prayer, in meditation. And this is not secondary, a disciple must also take this journey because if he doesn’t always seek God, the Gospel he brings to others will be a weak Gospel, watered down, powerless.
If a disciple does not walk in order to serve, his walking is of no use. If his life is not in service, his life is of no use, as a Christian. In this very aspect the temptation of selfishness can be seen in many people. There are indeed those who say: Yes, I’m a Christian, I’m at peace, I confess, I go to Mass, I follow the Commandments. But where is the service to others? Where, is the service to Jesus in the sick, in the imprisoned, in the hungry, in the naked? And this is precisely what Jesus told us we must do because he is there. Service to Christ in others.
It’s sad when we see Christians who forget these words of Jesus: ‘You received without pay, give back without pay’. (Santa Marta, June 11, 2015)