Today's Gospel

The Origin of Your Goodness

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where each day we explore the genius of the Gospel. Today's reading is from the Gospel of Mark, 6: 7-13. Remember, we're looking for a word or a phrase or an idea that the Holy Spirit uses to capture your attention, to intrigue you, to capture your imagination, to create a link between your life, what's going on in your heart and the gospel of the day. So listen for your word, your phrase, your idea. And Jesus called to him, the 12, and began to send them out 2 by 2 and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except the staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, "When you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. And if any place will not receive you, and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." So, they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out demons and anointed with oil, many that were sick and healed them.

What jumps out at you today? For me, it's this trust that Jesus calls His disciples to have. It's like going out there, no food, no second tunic, no money, no anything, and trust that good people will take care of you. And whenever I hear this reading, I always think about my early years on the road, and I would stay with families, and they were so good to me. And these families, they're just etched in my mind. I've talked about in the past, when I'm in an airport and I look up at the board, and you see all the cities and all the flights, and I see these names, these cities, and I think of these families who hosted me 30 years ago, 25 years ago. And they're etched in my mind because of their goodness and their hospitality when I was so young and just getting started and just trying to do this ministry that I felt God was calling me to. And so that goodness, that comes from God. God is love, we read in John. God is goodness. And we're made in the image of God. And because we're made in the image of God, we're capable of love. We're capable of goodness. That goodness comes from God. And it's a beautiful thing, and it does capture people's imaginations. So let's go out into the world today and share that goodness with people. Or if people are coming to our homes, let our hospitality-- be as if we're hosting Jesus. Have a great day, and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.