We have responded to the call of the Lord by gathering each weekend in our church to worship God, to listen to the Word and to share in the Eucharist. At the end of Mass we hear the dismissal “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” (By the way that does not mean leave the church right away. Please remain and sing along with the recessional hymn. It’s not just a filler or background music for us as we go home, it is prayer. Singing is praying.) There are other official dismissals, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” and “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” I like the last two the best because they remind us to go forth as changed persons, nourished by the Lord so that we can witness our faith outside these four walls.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus sent the disciples out to carry on His mission, empowering them with His authority. He gives some good advice when traveling. Travel light. Take no change of clothes, no food, no bag, and no money. Obviously he didn’t mean this literally. What they brought was much greater. They brought the authority to drive out evil and to heal the sick. By not being dependent on material things, they would place their dependence on God. God gave them the authority they needed to carry out His mission and obviously that was enough, for their mission was successful.
In baptism, we have been empowered by Christ to carry on His mission as well. Let us not concentrate on what we don’t have, but on what we do have. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds us we are adopted children of God, redeemed by Christ’s blood and share in God’s glory forever. So in that sense the Mass is really never ended. We carry on the announcing of the Good News and nurturing and healing of Christ to everyone we meet. Go in peace. We are again sent forth.
Love, Peace, Joy,
Fr. Bob
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