Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest
Jesus sends us with power to proclaim the good news and heal, Luke tells us today. Jesus sends us to proclaim salvation. Now, we aren’t sent to shout at people or to display on billboards that “HELL IS REAL!” Rarely do these tactics bring people into a relationship with Christ. It might be helpful for us to remember that this often-loaded word, “salvation,” has as its root the word “salve.” Proclaiming the good news is not about winning an intellectual argument. Proclaiming the good news is healing work for body and soul.
Yes, Jesus sends us out today and every day to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal. These are not separate tasks. In the Kingdom of God, all are welcomed, all have what they need, and everyone is invited to use their gifts for the benefit of the community. This is deeply healing work. It is tender work that is spoken in gentleness and with love. It is spoken with a smile. It is spoken silently as we bathe our children, bake a casserole for those who are mourning, offer rental assistance to those who need it, pray outside detention centers.
This healing work certainly starts in our homes and with our family and friends, but it cannot end there. We don’t just let it ripple out, hoping there might be some left over for those who feel more distant from us. Jesus sends us OUT! Jesus sends us beyond our current boundaries, beyond our comfort zones. We go out to proclaim the good news with the healing power of salvation in Christ.
Yes, Jesus sends us with power. But this power is different than the world’s power. This power carries no stick. This power carries no money. This power is completely vulnerable. This power that we have in Christ Jesus is a vulnerable power. It is the power of the cross. We will inevitably be wounded as we go about the healing work. It is the way of the cross.
It is precisely our willingness to be wounded that gives us the power to heal. And yet, we are not to seek this woundedness nor to hold on to it. As we go about the work of proclaiming this good news and healing, there will be times when we are welcomed. When that happens, Jesus says, rejoice and accept it! And, there will be times when we are rejected. When that happens, Jesus tells us to shake it off and move on, continuing to praise and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God!