In today’s gospel Jesus sends the twelve out to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He gives them power over demons and disease. They must have been very popular as they delivered cures and cast out demons! These are no small things! What does this mean in the world today for you and me?
We are sent by Jesus to proclaim the Kingdom to all whom we meet, every person God puts in our lives today: family and friends, strangers and even foes. We have good news to share. The Kingdom is here and now. God is with us, creating us and loving us every moment of the day. As Saint Francis said, and Pope Francis so clearly does, “go forth and preach the good news; speak if you must.”
So we go into the world each day with our little ways of showing God’s love to the people we meet. These little ways seem all too small compared with the talk of curing disease and casting out demons that we hear in the gospel. Perhaps we underestimate the power of even seemingly small actions. I remember more than once when a small act or word from another made a big difference in my life. Keep in mind Mother Teresa’s wise counsel, “there is no such thing as a small act of love.”
—David McNulty is the Provincial Assistant for Advancement, Chicago-Detroit Province Jesuits