Luke 9:1-6

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. Teach me to trust in your providential care and to seek you above every earthly possession. Help me remember that my life is a pilgrimage toward my true home with you, where I hope to praise you forever with all the angels and saints.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Sent to Proclaim the Kingdom: Jesus does not merely give the Twelve a teaching assignment; he gives them a mission. “He sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” The Twelve have received power and authority from Jesus, but this power is given for a purpose: they are to make the Kingdom of God present through their words and deeds.

This mission continues what Jesus himself has been doing. Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus declares that he must “proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God” because “for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43). The Twelve now share in that same mission. When Jesus chose them, he called them “apostles” (Luke 6:13), a word derived from the Greek verb meaning “to send.” They are not simply disciples who have learned from Jesus; they are disciples who have been sent by Jesus. Their mission is both proclamation and action. They announce that God is establishing his reign, and they demonstrate that reign by healing the sick and freeing people from demonic oppression. The Kingdom is not merely an idea to be discussed. In Jesus, God’s saving reign is breaking into human history, and its arrival changes lives. This is important for understanding our own Christian vocation. We can easily think of our faith primarily in terms of what we receive: the Sacraments, prayer, Sacred Scripture, Christian fellowship, and the forgiveness of our sins. These are extraordinary gifts, but Jesus does not intend for us to keep them to ourselves. Having encountered Christ, we are also sent. We do not all receive the same mission. The Twelve were sent throughout Galilee. Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, known better as “Padre Pio,” was called to serve Christ as a Capuchin friar and priest, spending much of his life in the confessional, celebrating the Eucharist, offering spiritual counsel, and praying for those entrusted to him. Our own mission may be carried out through our family, workplace, parish, friendships, or ordinary circumstances of daily life. What matters is that we recognize that we, too, have been sent. The Christian question is not simply, “What do I want to do with my life?” It is also, “Lord, what are you sending me to do?” Jesus gives his disciples power and authority for their mission. The same Lord who sends us also gives us the grace necessary to fulfill what he asks. Our task is not to invent a mission for ourselves but to receive the mission Christ entrusts to us and faithfully carry it out. What has Christ sent me to do? Where is he asking me to make his Kingdom more visible through my words and actions?

2. Take Nothing for the Journey: Jesus then gives the Twelve a remarkable command: “Take nothing for the journey.” They are to take neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, nor a second tunic. Everything ordinarily considered necessary for a journey is left behind.

The point is not that these things are evil. A walking stick, food, money, and clothing are legitimate goods. Jesus is teaching the Twelve something deeper: they must learn to depend upon God rather than upon their own resources. The apostles have been given extraordinary power and authority, yet Jesus sends them out in a condition of radical dependence. They cannot rely upon money to purchase food or lodging. They must depend upon the hospitality of those who receive them. Their vulnerability becomes part of their witness. This dependence is especially significant because the apostles are about to exercise great spiritual power. They will cast out demons and cure diseases. Without humility, such power could become an occasion for pride. By sending them with nothing, Jesus reminds them that the power belongs to God. Whatever good they accomplish comes from the Lord who sent them. This lesson applies even when Jesus does not literally ask us to abandon our possessions. We can possess many things without allowing those things to possess us. We can have money, education, professional expertise, technology, influence, and carefully developed plans while recognizing that none is the ultimate source of our security. The temptation is to trust in what we can see and measure. We rely upon our savings, abilities, reputation, professional experience, connections, or plans. These can all be legitimate means of exercising prudence, but they cannot replace divine providence. The Christian life therefore requires a paradoxical combination of prudence and dependence. We should plan wisely and work diligently, but never imagine that our plans eliminate our need for God. We use our resources while remembering that everything we possess ultimately comes from him. This is particularly important when we experience success. The more capable we become, the easier it can be to forget our dependence upon God and believe our accomplishments are entirely our own. Padre Pio understood this dependence through a life of prayer and sacrifice. His ministry bore extraordinary fruit, but he consistently directed people toward God rather than himself. His life reminds us that fruitful apostolic work begins not with self-sufficiency but with surrender. To “take nothing for the journey” is therefore an invitation to spiritual freedom. We do not need to possess everything, control everything, or guarantee every outcome. We need to remain faithful to the One who sends us.

What do I tend to rely upon instead of God? What would it mean for me to trust more deeply in God’s providence while faithfully using the gifts and resources he has given me?

3. Faithful Even When Rejected: Jesus also prepares the Twelve for rejection. “As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” The apostles are not promised that everyone will welcome them. Their mission will involve both acceptance and rejection, just as Jesus himself experienced rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4:28–30). The Gospel does not always produce an immediate or positive response. Jesus therefore gives the Twelve an important lesson in detachment. If a town rejects their message, they are not to remain indefinitely trying to force acceptance. They are to leave and continue their mission. Shaking the dust from their feet is a symbolic act of testimony. It communicates that the apostles have faithfully proclaimed the Gospel and that responsibility for rejecting it now belongs to those who have heard it. As Luke later observes, some people “rejected God’s purpose for themselves” (Luke 7:30). There is an important distinction here. The apostles are responsible for proclaiming the Gospel; they are not responsible for controlling how others respond to it. This can be difficult for us. We naturally want our efforts to succeed. We want our family members to accept our advice, our friends to understand our beliefs, our coworkers to appreciate our witness, and our evangelization to bear visible fruit. But Jesus does not measure the apostles’ faithfulness by the number of people who welcome them. He measures it by whether they go where he sends them and proclaim what he has commanded. That is liberating. We should certainly seek to become better witnesses. We should speak with charity, prudence, courage, and humility. But we cannot force another person’s conversion or control another person’s conscience. We cannot make the Gospel acceptable to someone who refuses to receive it. Our responsibility is faithfulness. The Kingdom of God cannot be confined to one town, one people, or one generation. What begins as the mission of the Twelve will become the Church’s universal mission. We are part of that continuing mission. Wherever Christ has placed us, we have opportunities to proclaim the Gospel—not necessarily by preaching sermons, but through the integrity of our lives, our treatment of others, our willingness to forgive, our generosity, our courage in defending what is true, and our refusal to separate our faith from our daily decisions. Some people will welcome that witness. Others may reject it. Our task remains the same: to remain faithful and keep going. Am I more concerned with being faithful to Christ or with being accepted by others? How can I witness to the Gospel with greater courage and charity?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have sent me to make your Kingdom known through my life. Give me the courage to proclaim you in my words and actions, the humility to depend upon your grace, and the freedom to accept rejection without losing heart. May I remain faithful to the mission you have entrusted to me and seek your glory rather than my own.

Living the Word of God: Where is Christ sending me today? What am I relying upon instead of God’s providence? Is there one person to whom I can bring the presence of Christ through a word or deed of charity? Can I entrust to God someone who has rejected my faith, my advice, or my efforts to help?