"As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." - Matthew 10:7-8
I come from a long line of pragmatists and I am not terribly proud to say I carried that pragmatic line of thinking into my parenting when I raised my first two children. One of my favorite lines when explaining how the world works was "kid, there's no such thing as a free lunch." When you look at the world from that angle there is a cost to everything. Breathing costs you energy, which you have to replenish by eating, which of course costs you money, which you need to work for to make. See pragmatism at it's finest!
In our Gospel reading, Jesus sends out the 12 to share about the Kingdom of God. Not only that, He instructs them to heal the sick, drive out demons and even raise people from the dead! I can get on board with Jesus performing those miracles, after all He is God. But His disciples? And by extension you and me!?! That's a tough pill to swallow.
Is Jesus really asking us to perform miracles? The answer is yes! So, let's take that pragmatic worldview and put it to the work. Some simple ways I can carry out Jesus' commandment are by feeding the sick, sharing the Gospel with the spiritually dead, and welcoming the unwelcome into my life. And because sharing Jesus is giving them the true Bread of Life it looks like there is such a thing as a free lunch after all! Because I have received the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, I have the obligation to freely give that gift to others at every opportunity.
As we enter into this Advent Season what are some ways we can share Jesus with those around us, especially with the sick and spiritually dying.
Lord, give us the courage to believe that through our small acts of obedience, You can perform miracles.
Reflection by:
Davis Watts
Did you know...
Davis Watts is the Music Director at Spirit FM 90.5 and father of two children, Madelyne who passed away at 22 while battling Cystic Fibrosis and Ethan who continues to fight this deadly disease every day. He is also step-father of two boys, Liam and Graham. Davis and his wife Abby are parishioners at Nativity in Brandon. Davis holds a degree in Religious Studies from Saint Leo University and is an accomplished musician. Davis is a passionate speaker, knowledgeable on the Catholic faith, marriage, and music. You can hear him on Spirit FM weekdays from 10am-3pm.
