THE Lord Himself will proclaim peace with justice, truth with kindness, His glory dwelling in our land (Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14). Jesus sent out His disciples to participate in His ministry with authority over unclean spirits and the power to heal the sick, expecting no benefit to themselves (Mark 6:7-13).
The Lord will give His benefits
The verses of the psalm selected for the liturgy stress the confidence that as in the past God will again pour out His favor upon His people. They are not in despair even if in distress, because they are confident and waiting for what God will be proclaiming, and that will be nothing less than peace that comes from the covenant with God. They are convinced that God will respond to their pleas since they are God’s covenant people who trust in Him. Salvation is at hand for the faithful and loyal ones, those who treasure Him and fear Him; that is, God’s help is near to the righteous who keep to the covenant with God. And they believe that salvation is accompanied by prosperity, which manifests that God’s glory dwells in their land.
This salvation from God is characterized by His loving kindness (hesed) to His people and His faithfulness to His promises. And to this pair of virtues corresponds the pair directly experienced by the people: justice and peace embracing in their midst, that is, righteousness and wholeness or harmony resulting from the covenant with God. With justice coming down from heaven and truth springing from the earth, the entire creation experiences the saving embrace of God. For with salvation is a hoped for prosperity, life flourishing and the land yielding bounteous harvests. As in a triumphal procession of divine glory in the land, justice leads and good fortune brings up the rear. This is what the people wait for in confidence.
He sent them out
The first missionary venture of the Twelve Apostles narrated by Mark contains explicit directives. They were given authority over the unclean spirits. Representing Jesus Himself, they were to extend His mission of establishing the reign of God, and so expelling demons enslaving people and curing sicknesses tormenting them, as part of proclaiming His good news of salvation. They were commissioned to share in Jesus’ ministry with His own power; ultimately through them it was Jesus traveling from village to village. They must go out two by two, complementing each other as witnesses themselves to the teaching and the new way of life Jesus has inaugurated.
They preached repentance, as Jesus did. There must be change from the old way to the new way of Jesus, from the former legalistic manner of relating with God to Jesus’ intimate fidelity to the Father’s will. The people must be led to believe in Jesus, entrusting themselves to His gospel and following Him as the truth and the life they have been waiting for. The apostles’ proclamation must be the same as Jesus’ own: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Their miraculous authority over demons and sicknesses were but manifestations of God’s victorious power breaking the bonds of evil. Jesus had brought His Twelve Apostles into God’s saving work.
Take nothing
But their ministry in the name of Jesus was not only a combination of words and wondrous deeds. They must in person witness to the new life in Jesus. For the apostles to teach others effectively on the new way of thinking and acting, they needed to personify it, literally “walking their talking.” The instructions of Jesus to them were both practical and symbolic. Sandals and walking stick would facilitate their task to spread the Good News from place to place, and not to settle put in any one location. The one tunic they wore stressed the single-mindedness they should maintain to be truly men on a mission.
Anywhere they go, they must take nothing with them: no food, no sack, no money. They must become part of those who have nothing, those in need. Their lack of provisions put them in the same league with their teacher who, unlike birds of the sky with their nests, had nowhere to rest his head (Matthew 8:20). They must learn to rely on, and teach the people to have, the compassion for the poor characteristic of the new community in Jesus. The disciples must not behave like travelers looking for the best accommodations. Nor should they expect success everywhere; there would be failure and rejection. They must not quarrel with those who refuse to welcome them and their message. They must learn to move on to the other people and places in need of the Good News.
Alálaong bagá, the followers of Jesus have been told what to do in order to participate in his mission. They must practice what they preach: they must surrender themselves completely to the Lord and wait in confidence for His saving power. They must witness to “faithfulness springing out of the earth,” even as they become instruments of “justice looking down from heaven.”
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