Luke 9:1-6

Ezra 9:5-9

Tobit 13:2, 3-4a, 6befghn, 7-8

Luke 9:1-6

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority

over all demons and to cure diseases,

and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God

and to heal the sick.

He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,

neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,

and let no one take a second tunic.

Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.

And as for those who do not welcome you,

when you leave that town,

shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”

Then they set out and went from village to village

proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are my Lord and my God. I trust in you. I long to dwell in your house all the days of my life. I look forward to the day when, in heaven, I will sing your glorious praises with the heavenly host, with all the angels and saints.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Take Nothing for the Journey: In the Gospel, Jesus bestowed power and authority upon his Twelve Apostles. This gift included the power to cast out demons and to heal the sick. It also included the authority to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. As they carry out this mission of healing and teaching, the Apostles are not to trust in the strength of their own abilities. Jesus commands them to take nothing with them and leave everything behind (see Luke 5:11, 28). Although they might be good administrators, they are not to take money with them to buy food or a place to spend the night. Instead, they are to trust in the generosity of the people who welcome them to stay with them. Such practices will help them trust more in God’s providential care. And when they perform signs and wonders, and cast out demons, and heal the sick, they will more readily give glory and praise to God and not fall into the sin of pride and vainglory. As well, if they follow Jesus’ commands, then they will be less likely to fall into the perilous trap of using religion for financial gain.

2. Ezra as a Type of Christ: On Monday, we began reading from the Book of Ezra as our First Reading. The first part of the Book of Ezra (1-6) dealt with the rebuilding of the Temple from 538 to 515 B.C. Ezra 7 moves forward to the middle of the fifth century B.C. and the situation of the Judeans living in Jerusalem. Here, we are introduced to the priest and scribe Ezra, who served as an official in Persia under Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:1-6). “Artaxerxes grants Ezra permission by official decree to return to Jerusalem with the goal of restoring Torah observance (see Ezra 7:7-8, 11-26). The following passage captures the heart of Ezra’s mission: ‘For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach his statutes and ordinances in Israel’ (Ezra 7:10). He gathers Levites to come with him to Jerusalem and they fast in preparation (Ezra 8:15-23)” (A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament, 237). When Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he found that the people had been unfaithful to the Lord and that the upper classes, especially, had intermarried with the Gentile nations in the land. It was not a question of race, but of the officials and chief men of Judah seeking to advance their power and wealth by intermarrying with foreign nobles. This was seen by Ezra as an injustice to faithful Jewish women, as breaking the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 7:1-4), and as a danger of falling into idolatry. Ezra then pleaded with the Lord, fasting and interceding for the people. In this way, he is seen as a type of Christ, who makes sorrowful intercession and fasts for the people. 

3. Ezra’s Spiritual Leadership: Ezra goes into a long prayer that confesses the collective sin of the people of Judah. “The people respond to Ezra’s exhortation and even agree to part with their foreign wives (10:1-17). Again, the text is clear: elite priests and Levites were at the forefront of the guilty here (see Ezra 10:18-24). With Ezra’s spiritual leadership – and the absence of royal Davidic leadership – we can see the gradual movement toward governance of the people by priests and religious leaders, while still remaining subject to various foreign powers. This is the situation at the time of Jesus, with rule by the priestly establishment, along with the Herodian rulers, all of whom serve under the auspices of the Roman authorities” (A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament, 237). Reading the Book of Ezra, then, helps us understand the history of the Jewish people and the influence of the religious authorities during the life and times of Jesus. Jesus comes not to promote a theology of separation between the Jewish people and the Gentiles, but to inaugurate the New Covenant and establish the Kingdom of God that welcomes people of all nations.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, send me to proclaim the Kingdom of God today. I pray that my actions correspond to my Christian faith and that I may witness to you in my words and good deeds. Empower me with your grace and the virtues of faith, hope, and charity so that what I do may give glory to you and the Father.

Living the Word of God: How can I imitate Ezra’s zeal in living out not the Old Covenant Laws of separation, but the New Covenant and life in the Spirit? How can I imitate the apostles and their reliance on God’s providence? How can I be a more effective witness to the Gospel of the Kingdom of God?