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Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time - Relying Upon Divine Providence

Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time - Relying Upon Divine Providence

Catholic Daily Reflections vor 2 Jahren

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Catholic Daily Reflections

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

Religion & Spiritualität

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Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and
gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to
take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack,
no money in their belts. Mark 6:7–8

Why would Jesus instruct the Twelve to go forth to preach with
authority but to take nothing with them on the journey? Most people
who set out on a journey prepare ahead and make sure to pack what
they need. Jesus’ instruction was not so much a lesson in relying
upon others for basic needs as it was a lesson on reliance upon
divine providence for their ministry.

The material world is good in and of itself. All creation is good.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with having possessions and using
them for our good and for the good of those who have been entrusted
to our care. But there are times when God wants us to rely more
upon Him than upon ourselves. The story above is one of those
situations.

By instructing the Twelve to go forth on their mission without
bringing the basic necessities of life, Jesus was helping them to
trust not only in His providence for those basic needs but also to
trust that He would provide for them spiritually in their mission
of preaching, teaching and healing. They were given great spiritual
authority and responsibility and, for that reason, needed to rely
upon the providence of God to a far greater extent than others.
Thus, Jesus exhorts them to trust Him regarding their basic needs
so that they will also be disposed to trust Him on this new
spiritual mission.

The same is true in our lives. When God entrusts us with a mission
to share the Gospel with another, He will often do so in a way that
requires great trust on our part. He will send us forth
“empty-handed,” so to speak, so that we will learn to rely upon His
gentle guidance. Sharing the Gospel with another is an incredible
privilege, and we must realize that we will be successful only if
we rely wholeheartedly upon the providence of God.

Reflect, today, upon those to whom you sense God wants you to reach
out to with the Gospel. How do you do this? The answer is quite
simple. You do so only by relying upon the providence of God. Step
out in faith, listen to His guiding voice every step of the way,
and know that His providence is the only way that the Gospel
message will be effectively shared.

My trustworthy Lord, I accept Your call to go forth and to share
Your love and mercy with others. Help me to always rely upon You
and Your providence for my mission in life. Use me as You will and
help me to trust in Your guiding hand for the upbuilding of Your
glorious Kingdom on earth. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: A an etching by Jan Luyken from the
Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations housed at
Belgrave Hall, Leicester, England, via Wikimedia Commons