Thursday, February 1, 2018

"And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses."(Mark. 6:8)

"And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses."(Mark. 6:8)
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When Jesus sent His Apostles in pairs to preach the Gospel, He gave them a few instructions to be followed by them.

He instructed them not to take with them the following things.

bread,

haversack,

and

coppers for their purses."

The Apostles were advised not to take with them food,  bag and money.

One may be tempted to ask  how one can

subsist without out food,

travel without a bag to carry things needed for one's journey and stay, 

and be without  money to buy things needed for at least one's survival.

We can be sure that Jesus too knew these things.

But we must remember one thing:

All through His public life Jesus too went about preaching without carrying food, bag and money. 

He ate the food given by His devotees,  together with His disciples.

He never carried any bag on His shoulder.

Jesus never carried money with him.

Once when he was asked to pay temple tax, He said Peter,

"cast a line into the lake and pull out the first fish you hook. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Use it to pay your taxes and mine.”

So it is no wonder that he expected His disciples to be like Him.

Though the whole universe is His, He is poor in spirit.

He wants His followers to be like Him.

It is applicable not only to the first disciples, but also to those who occupy their position even now.

May be Jesus wants to establish an interdependent relationship between the preachers and those to whom they preach.

The preachers of the Gospel should care for the spiritual welfare of the preached.

The  preached should take care of the temporal welfare of the Preachers.

In other words, the faithful must be dependent on their spiritual Fathers for their growth in Faith.

The spiritual Fathers must be dependent on their spiritual children for their temporal needs.

This interdependency is essential for a healthy spiritual life of the whole Christian family.

Nowadays there is tendency towards independent spiritual life.

The faithful don't approach their spiritual Fathers for spiritual guidance, because of which confession has lost its importance among the faithful and the sense of sin has completely been lost.

It is like serious patients not approaching the doctors imagining themselves perfectly healthy.

The clergy also have independent income and can live comfortably without any help from their spiritual children.

This independence has resulted in dividing our community into two groups each finding fault with the other without mutual love and understanding.

Only putting Our Lord's instructions into practice can bring about unity among us.

I am writing what I am thinking.

Kindly point out if I have gone wrong anywhere.

Lourdu Selvam.

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