Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time

“Do I own my things, or do they own me?” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta
 
Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ discourse to his disciples. They’re to proclaim that the kingship of God is close at hand. This is true because his presence and work are the very embodiment of the Kingdom.
 
The Twelve will do the same things as Jesus: curing the sick, raising the dead, healing lepers, and liberating people from evil spirits. Later, we will see them doing these things in the Acts of the Apostles and the Church continues their work.

We are all called to proclaim the kingship of God by our words, deeds, and way of life. We may not be able to raise people physically from the dead; but there many who are virtually dead who need to be brought back to a fully human life.
 
Most nations today don’t have lepers, but everywhere we find those who are marginalized and vulnerable. They need our help. Some believe that possession by evil spirits still exists, but it’s certain that there are far more who are in the grip of more mundane “demons” such as pornography, alcohol, and drugs, not to mention those who are slaves to materialism, hedonism, and the other “isms” of our time.
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Jesus tells his disciples to travel lightly. To be as free as possible, they should only take with them the absolute minimum. Many of us have much more than the bare basics, even as we know that possessions and our concerns about them can easily limit our freedom. As St. Teresa of Calcutta notes, “Do I own my things, or do they own me?”
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Jesus tells us that all who work for the Kingdom should have their basic needs met by those they serve. In return, the missionary brings the Lord’s peace to any home that offers hospitality. It’s a vision of society which is hard to find in our own day, although places like the L’Arche and the Catholic Worker houses spring to mind. 
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Jesus has some hard words for those who refuse hospitality to his disciples. Shaking the dust from one’s feet was symbolical because the dust of any Gentile country was regarded as unclean. By implication so was the dust of an inhospitable home. 
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How free am I to do the things that Jesus says I need to do: bringing healing and wholeness into people’s lives?