Gospel: Mathew 10:7-13

 

At the time of Jesus there were various movements which, like Him, were seeking a new way of living and of living together with others. Many of them formed communities of disciples and had their missionaries. But there was a great difference! Through this instruction, the Lord tries to renew and reorganize the communities of Galilee in a way that they would once again be the expression of the covenant, an example of the Kingdom of God.

 

Jesus invites the disciples to announce that “the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand!”. It means that it is already within reach of the people, it is already “in our midst” (Lk 17:21). The coming of the Kingdom is not the fruit of our observance, as the Pharisees wanted, but it becomes present in the actions which Jesus recommends to the Apostles.

 

The sick, the dead, the lepers, the possessed, were all excluded from living together with others and they were excluded in the name of God. Jesus orders the disciples to accept these people, to include them. The kingdom of God becomes present in these gestures of acceptance and inclusion.  In these gestures of human gratuity is shown God’s love, which reconstructs communal living.

 

Arriving at a place, the disciples have to choose a house of peace and they should remain there. They should become members of the community and work for peace, that is, to reconstruct the human relationships which will favor peace.