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Today’s Gospel gives us an example of how to trust in Jesus. It seems odd that He would send the Twelve out with no supplies or provisions, not even a stick to walk with. He’s telling them that they need nothing other than Him. He will provide. And the Gospel ends with success. They proclaimed the Good News and healed sick people. It doesn’t say that they were hungry, or had nowhere to sleep, or needed a second tunic. Those seemingly minor things were taken care of. Jesus wanted them to go out to the people and proclaim his Kingdom. He wanted them to be successful and they were. He wanted them to trust Him and they did.
The topics of trust and surrender come up regularly among my Catholic friends. We all struggle with wanting to take control and do it our way. We get caught up in insignificant details and inflate them into something crazy. We forget that we can put anything in His capable, loving hands and He will take care of it.
I recently prayed Don Dolindo’s Surrender Novena with my husband and my son. It’s a powerful and beautiful prayer. It reminded me that just as a doctor can heal me without my input or just as a mother cares for her child without the child telling her how, Jesus cares for us and doesn’t need us to tell Him how. The disciples may have been tempted to ask Him why He sent them as He did but they went and it worked out gloriously. And it can work out the same way for us.
El Evangelio de hoy nos ofrece un ejemplo de cómo confiar en Jesús. Resulta extraño que enviaría a los Doce sin provisiones ni suministros, ni siquiera un bastón para caminar. Les está diciendo que no necesitan nada más que a Él. Él proveerá. Y el Evangelio concluye con éxito: proclamaron la Buena Nueva y sanaron a los enfermos. No se menciona que pasaron hambre, ni que carecían de un lugar donde dormir, ni que necesitaban una segunda túnica. Esos detalles, aparentemente insignificantes, quedaron resueltos. Jesús quería que salieran al encuentro de la gente y proclamaran su Reino. Quería que tuvieran éxito, y así fue. Quería que confiaran en Él, y así fue.
Los temas de la confianza y la entrega surgen con frecuencia en las conversaciones con mis amigos católicos. Todos luchamos contra el deseo de tomar el control y hacer las cosas a nuestra manera. Nos enredamos en detalles insignificantes y los magnificamos hasta convertirlos en algo desproporcionado. Olvidamos que podemos poner cualquier asunto en sus manos capaces y amorosas, y que Él se encargará de ello.
Recientemente recé la “Novena de la Entrega” del Padre Dolindo junto con mi esposo y mi hijo. Es una oración poderosa y hermosa. Me recordó que, del mismo modo que un médico puede sanarme sin que yo intervenga, o que una madre cuida a su hijo sin que le indique cómo hacerlo, Jesús cuida de nosotros y no necesita que le digamos cómo actuar. Es posible que los discípulos se vieran tentados a preguntarle por qué los enviaba de esa manera; sin embargo, fueron, y todo resultó gloriosamente bien. Y lo mismo puede suceder con nosotros.
Merridith Frediani loves words and is delighted by good sentences. She also loves Lake Michigan, dahlias, the first sip of hot coffee in the morning, millennials, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids. She writes for CatholicMom.com, Diocesan.com, and her local Catholic Herald. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Adoration is available at Our Sunday Visitor and Amazon. You can learn more at merridithfrediani.com.
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