Faith Daily | 2 February 2023

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p533

O Lord,

you have taught us

that all our doings without love are worth nothing:

send your Holy Spirit,

and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,

the true bond of peace and all virtues,

without which whoever lives is counted dead before you;

Grant this for your Son Jesus Christ’s sake.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Mark 6: 7-13

7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Sonja Shipard

Here we see Jesus preparing the twelve to go out in pairs to preach and cast out demons. Why did Jesus send them out two by two? By separating the Twelve into groups of two, Jesus follows the Old Testament law of affirming the truth with two witnesses (Numbers 35:30; Deut 17:6)

This idea of confirmation is also recommended in the New Testament (2Cor 13: 1; 1Timothy 5:19) Going on missions in pairs provides encouragement, affirmation and safety.

These twelve had already spent about a year with Jesus moving from village to village and learning from him, now it was time for them to begin their ministries. He tells them what to take with on this mission and how they were to conduct themselves, and what they were to do when their message was not received. When they were rejected, they were to move on and do God’s work where it was more warmly received, not wasting their time trying to convince those who would not believe.

I have found two valuable lessons in these verses, I must trust God to provide everything I need and I must not stress over rejection, I must ‘shake it off’.

FINAL PRAYER APBA p559

O Lord our God,

you are always more ready to bestow

your good gifts upon us

than we are to seek them’

and more willing to give than we desire or deserve:

in our every need,

grant us the first and best of all your gifts,

the Spirit who makes us your children.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.