When you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor copper in your moneybelts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

- Matthew 10:5-15

On Saturday we read that Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house Israel.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor copper in your moneybelts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."  The disciples' mission is similar to Christ's mission.  They are to preach and to heal.  These are laborers for the harvest (see Saturday's reading, above) with whom He shares His power and mission.  My study bible notes that Jesus sends them only to the Jews.  Jesus' earthly ministry was focused on the Jews (15:24) as this is fitting "to fulfill all righteousness" (3:15).  After the Resurrection, the disciples won't be blamed for going "to uncircumcised men" (Acts 11:3).   Jesus prepares His apostles to be single-minded in their mission to preach and to heal, my study bible says.  He reminds them that His power is free; that it is a gift from God ("Freely you have received; freely give").   He also instructs them to carry no money, so they won't be accused of greed, and so they will learn dependence upon God.   The primary character of this mission is humility.  To bring the kingdom of heaven near is also to live righteousness.

"Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."  This same greeting of peace that is commanded by Christ of His servants is the same peace proclaimed by the prophets (Isaiah 52:7).  It is the same peace later offered to the disciples (John 14:27; 20:19), and that will be revealed as the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  And today, Christ's peace is offered in the celebration of the liturgy with the words, "Peace be to all."

"And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"   The rebuke of the disciples to those who do not wish to hear or receive them is simply to shake off the dust from their feet.  Jesus' words about Judgment and righteousness give us an idea of how this power works.   St. Paul's teaching on kindness to enemies is illumined here (Romans 12:20-21; see also Proverbs 25:21-22).

What does it mean to live righteousness?  Or to proclaim that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand"?  The text clearly tells us that Jesus shares His power with the disciples to cleanse and to heal and to cast out demons.  But this power alone is not enough.  They are to go with humility. Whatever home first receives them, they are to stay there and not "trade up" for better lodgings.  They don't impress anyone with outward show of wealth or might.  There is no military accompanying this mission to declare the presence of this Kingdom.  They have lived with Christ throughout His mission so far; now they are to go out and live what they have learned.  They are to be dependent upon God.  We understand with Matthew's Gospel that this is a mission to the Jews of Israel, to seek out those whom Jesus calls "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In Saturday's reading (see above), we read that He had compassion on the multitude, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Here is His response to the needs of the people.  His ministry evolves to meet what comes to Him in the form of need.  That ministry continues today, and should respond to the need that is found in people.  But this need isn't simply for food and drink and clothing.  It is far more than that.  It is a need that is fulfilled through a promise of participation in a Kingdom.  This is also a reality that is within us and among us.  It is a mystical presence, and its character and being is love (1 John 4:8).  It is a mistake to consider that meeting the material needs of human beings alone is the mission of the Messiah, or the ongoing mission of the Church.  There is more to this Kingdom that feeds people in ways necessary for soul and spirit.  There is food that meets us and heals in an interior way that cannot be reached simply with an outward donation, but must be received in the heart.  And this we also offer as part of the Kingdom to others, and it is present with us in a mystical way which can be shared through faith.  All along in the Gospel, Jesus' healings have involved the presence of faith, either in those receiving the healing or their loved ones and friends.  Too often we wish to abstract the reality of this presence of the Kingdom, and assume that it is present only in its signs.  The things we do because we are motivated by faith in it do not constitute the whole of its root nor its power.  Let us recall that we are a part of something that serves us with love as we in turn serve by practicing love.  There is a power in it we can't name nor quantify.  We can't predict how it will work.  And, as today's reading reminds us, there is also a peace in it.  This is a peace Jesus will say is given to us "not as the world gives" (John 14:27).  This is accompanied by a joy that is also a gift of Christ (John 15:11).   When we decide that we can limit and name the whole of the power of this Kingdom, to make it purely material or simply what we can see, we fail to grasp its infinite ongoing creativity and the ways that it can work within us to heal ailments no one can see.  Let us consider the reality of the Kingdom in which we are invited to participate and which can live and grow in us and through us.  It is also a great mystery that holds the infinite promise of God's love.