He sent them out two by two

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-15-il Hadd matul is-Sena 'B'

Missalin B pp 415

Reading 1                 Amos 7:12-15

Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos, "Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."  Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel."  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari    -     mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Għamos 7, 12-15

F'dak iż-żmien,  Amasja,qassis ta' Betel,  qal lil Għamos: "Mur, bniedem veġġenti, itlaq lejn l-art ta' Ġuda, u ħobżok kulu hemm, u ħabbar hemm;  u tkomplix iżjed tħabbar ġo Betel, għaliex Betel santwarju ta' sultan, it-tempju ta' saltna!" Wieġeb imbagħad Għamos u qal lil Amasja: "Jiena miniex profeta; anqas bin xi profeta; jien biss ragħaj u niżbor il-ġummajż. Iżda l-Mulej qabadni minn wara l-merħla; u l-Mulej qalli:  'Mur, ħabbar lill-poplu tiegħi Iżrael'." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                      Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD --for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.                                                          R.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.                            R.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.                                            R.

Salm Responsorjali                    -     Salm  84 (85)

    R/  Uri lilna, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek, u s-salvazzjoni tiegħek agħtina.

Ħa nisma' xi jgħid Alla;

il-Mulej, is-sliem ixandar.

Qrib hi tassew is-salvazzjoni tiegħu

għal dawk li jibżgħu minnu,

biex tgħammar is-sebħ f'artna.                                R/

It-tjieba u l-fedelta' jiltaqgħu,

il-ġustizzja u s-sliem jitbewsu.

Il-fedelta' mill-art tinbet,

u l-ġustizzja mis-sema tixref.                     R/

Il-Mulej ukoll  jagħti l-ġid tiegħu,

u artna tagħti l-frott tagħha.

Il-ġustizzja  quddiemu timxi,

u s-sliem  fuq il-passi tiegħu.                     R/

Reading 2          Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his  will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qar      -    mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 1, 3-14

Imbierek Alla u Missier Sidna Ġesu'' Kristu, li berikna  b'kull xorta ta' barka spiritwali, fis-smewwiet  fi Kristu. Hekk hu għażilna fih, sa minn qabel il-ħolqien tad-dinja, biex  inkunu qaddisa u bla tebgħa quddiemu fl-imħabba. Iddestinana minn qabel li nkunu għalih ulied addotti  permezz ta' Ġesu' Kristu,  hekk għoġob lir-rieda tiegħu,  għat-tifħir tal-glorja tal-grazzja tiegħu,  li biha mliena fil-Maħbub  tieghu.   Fih aħna għandna l-fidwa, bid-demm tiegħu, il-maħfra tad-dnibiet, skond il-għana tal-grazzja tieghu. Biha  fawwarna fil-għerf u l-għaqal kollu. Hu għarrafna l-misteru tar-rieda tiegħu, il-pjan li għoġbu  jfassal  fih minn qabel, u li kellu jseħħ meta tasal il-milja taż-żminijiet; jiġifieri, li kollox jinġabar taħt Ras waħda, li hu Kristu, kulma hu fis-sema u kulma hu fl-art. Fih aħna  wkoll konna magħżula,  iddentanti minn qabel, skond il-pjan imfassal  minn qabel  minn min imexxi kollox skond   il-fehma tar-rieda tiegħu, sabiex inkunu għat-tifħir tal-glorja tiegħu, aħna li, sa minn qabel,  konna nittamaw fi Kristu. U fih intom ukoll smajtu l-Kelma tal-Verita', l-Evanġelju tas-salvazzjoni tagħkom, u emmintu fiha. Kontu ssiġillati bl-Ispirtu s-Santu li  kien imwiegħed; li hu r-rahna tal-wirt tagħna  sakemm għadna nistennew  il-fidwa sħiħa  tal-Poplu li Alla kiseb għalih, għat-tifħir tal-glorja tiegħu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel           -           Mark 6:7-13

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. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them." So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.   This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju    -  skont San Mark  6,. 7-13

F'dak iż-żmien,   Ġesu' sejjaħ ħdejh lit-Tnax, u beda jibgħathom tnejn tnejn, filwaqt li tahom is-setgħa fuq l-ispirti ħżiena. U wissiehom biex ma jieħdu xejn magħhom għat-triq ħlief ħatar; la ħobż, la ħorġa,  anqas flus fi ħżienhom; imma li jilbsu l-qrieq," u ma jxiddux żewġ ilbiesi. Qalilhom:  "Fejn tidħlu f'xi dar, ibqgħu fiha sa  ma titilqu minn hemmhekk. U jekk f'xi post ma jilqgħukomx u ma jisimgħukomx,  itilqu minn hemm u farfru t-trab minn taħt saqajkom bħala xhieda kontriehom." Ħarġu mela jxandru  biex  in-nies jindmu; u keċċew  bosta xjaten , u dilku ħafna morda biż-żejt u fejquhom.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on the Apostolic Mission

He sent them out two by two

"And he called to him the Twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics." 

Bible scholars explain that, as usual, Mark, on referring to Christ's deeds and words, takes into account the situation and needs of the Church at the time he is writing the Gospel, that is, after the resurrection of Christ. But the main event and the instructions that Christ gives to the apostles in this passage refer to the earthly Jesus.

It is the beginning and like the general trials of the apostolic mission. For the moment it is a limited mission to the neighboring peoples, that is, to Jewish fellow countrymen. After Easter, this mission will be extended to the whole world, also to pagans: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" [Mark 16:15].

This fact is of decisive importance to understand the life and mission of Christ. He did not come to realize some personal prowess. He did not want to be a meteorite that goes across the sky only to disappear later into nothingness. He did not come, in other words, only for those few thousands of people who had the possibility to see and hear him in person during his life. He thought his mission should continue, be permanent, so that each person, in all times and places of history, would have the possibility to hear the Good News of God's love and be saved.

That is why he chose collaborators and began to send them ahead to preach the Kingdom and cure the sick. He did with his disciples what a good rector does today with his seminarians, who, on the weekends, sends his young men to parishes so that they will begin to have pastoral experience, or sends them to charitable institutions to help those who look after the poor, those outside the European community, to prepare for what one day will be their mission.

Jesus' invitation "Go!" is addressed first to the apostles, and today to their successors: the Pope, bishops and priests, but not only to them. The latter must be the guides, animators of the others in the common mission. To think otherwise would be as if saying that war can be waged only with generals and captains, without soldiers; or that a soccer team can be established only with one trainer and referee, without players.

After this sending of the apostles, the Gospel of Luke reads, Jesus "appointed seventy-two others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come" (Luke 10:1). These seventy-two disciples were probably all those he had gathered up to that moment, or at least all those who followed him with a certain continuity. Jesus, therefore, sent all his disciples, also laymen.

The post-Conciliar Church has witnessed a flowering of this awareness. The laity of ecclesial movements are the successors of these seventy-two disciples. The Vigil of Pentecost gave an idea of the dimensions of this phenomenon with those hundreds of thousands of young people who arrived in St. Peter's Square to celebrate Vespers of the Solemnity with the Pope. What was most impressive was the joy and enthusiasm of those present. Clearly, for those youths to live and proclaim the Gospel is not a burden to be accepted out of duty, but a joy, a privilege, something that makes the living of life more beautiful.

The Gospel uses only one word to say what the apostles should preach to the people ("that they repent,") whereas it describes at length how they must preach. In this regard, there is an important teaching in the fact that Jesus sent them two by two. Going two by two was customary in those times, but with Jesus it assumes a new meaning, no longer only practical. Jesus sent them two by two -- explained Saint Gregory the Great -- to inculcate charity, because with less than two persons there can be no charity. The first testimony to give of Jesus is that of mutual love: "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

We must be careful not to misinterpret Jesus' phrase about shaking the dust off their feet when they were not received. In Christ's intention, this was meant to be a testimony "for" them, not against them. It should serve to make them understand that the missionaries had not gone for selfish reasons, to take money or other things from them; more than that, they did not even want to take away their dust. They had gone for their salvation and, rejecting them, deprived themselves of the greatest good of the world.

It is something that must also be stressed today. The Church does not proclaim the Gospel to increase her power or the number of her members. If she acted like this, she would be the first to betray the Gospel. She does so because she wants to share the gift received, because she has received from Christ the mandate: "Freely you received, freely you must give."

[Translation and adaptation from the Italian by ZENIT]  © Innovative Media Inc.