A Missionary Church

(Note: yesterday's slice of bread will appear below.  Missed the dealine by less than a minute!  Not today...will post this early!!!  Apologies again.) 

Soon after he was elected the Chair of Peter, Pope Francis said that the Church was in dire need of "shepherds who smelled like sheep."  We might apply these words to ourselves.  If we are to be Christians, followers of Jesus, we can't just talk, we need to dig in and get our hands dirty.  Today's
gospel gives us a clear description of what Jesus expected of the Twelve (and us): "Cure the sick raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give." (Mt 10:6-8)  As St. Teresa of Avila put it, "Jesus has no hands now but ours." If HIS work is to continue in our day, it's up to US to carry it out   We may not literally raise people from the dead, or drive our demons, but we can lift spirits by a kind note, call, e-mail, text...We can be sources of hope by our optimism, our faith, our joy.  We can preach louder with our actions than our words.  We are a missionary Church;  our attitude cannot be "let Father Joe do it", but rather, I can and must do it, or as Nike says:  JUST DO IT!
Bro. Rene