Not only did the Twelve accompany Jesus. So did several women who provided for this entourage “out of their resources.” It’s a diverse group–Mary Magdalene, a disciple; Joanna, a woman of some stature in the community; and Susanna, about whom we know nothing except her name. I suggest that you re-read the verse and substitute your name for that of Susanna and then place yourself in this scene from Jesus’ travels.
Why are you following this itinerant preacher? What vision of the world and the world to come does he offer? Will you journey with him to Jerusalem, where he has foretold he will suffer and die?
What resources will you provide to this assemblage, and those whom he comforts and often cures? They are the poor, those afflicted with illness, those scorned because they have not adhered to the letter of the Law. How will you use your resources––talents, time, and treasure––to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God?
―George Penman Sullivan, Jr. is a Jesuit-educated lay leader who helped found Chicago’s Ignatian Volunteer Corps. He and his wife, Dorothy, live in Wilmette IL, and have four children and three grandchildren.