Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals;
and do not stop at the homes of those you know.
Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’
If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person.
But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table,
for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.
When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you.
Heal the sick who are there, and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’
But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the marketplace and proclaim:
‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you.
But know for a certainty that the kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’
I tell you, that on the Day of Judgment it will be better for Sodom than for this town.

REFLECTION:
October is the month of Mission. How appropriate that on the first day of the month the
Gospel reminds us of the need for “workers for the harvest.” There is a dearth of missionaries,
so we have to pray the one who calls to inspire generous young men and women to become missionaries.
We do need a lot of vocations for the missions.
But those to be on mission are not only those who become priests and religious.
No! All of us are to be missiona­ries. Mission work, after all, is not limited to priests and sisters.
Mission work is also bea­ring witness to our Faith in our day to day life.
This reminds me of our OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), who by their faithful practice of their Catholic devotions even in non-Christian and de-Christianized lands make them into “missionaries!”
Finally, we can learn from St. Therese, who, despite never leaving the cloister,
is consi­dered the patroness of the missions because she offered all her
merits of her activities for the mission! We can do the same.
Never underestimate what God can do for the little offering we give from a sincere heart!

© Copyright Bible Diary 2020