The Mission of Jesus in this world is to establish the Kingdom of God. In preparation to this John the Baptist preached repentance. Jesus also commissions his disciples in the first instance to prepare the people by preaching the repentance. In this task Jesus strengthens his disciples with the authority to cure the sick and to drive away the unclean spirits.
We too are commissioned by the anointment in the Baptism where we take part in the three fold Mission of Christ as Priest, King and Prophet. Here the prophetic role is enlightened more. We need to prepare ourselves and also others for the Kingdom of God.
In execution of the entrusted Mission the Disciples cured the sick making use of the earthly element OIL. The oil is used to strengthen the body through massaging the weaken parts of the body. We too need to make use of the earthly signs and elements to cure the sick (spiritually, physically and psychologically). These sick people are weak in many ways i.e. physically, spiritually, psychologically, in initiatives, in attitudes, in reaching out aims and goals etc. People are also wounded due to the failures in life, cheating, deception, sociological systems, problems in the family, at work and so on. Here we need to strengthen them using the signs and elements: Sacraments, Catechism, Prayer, Word of God, Teaching of the Church, Holy Father’s periodical encyclicals, Gospel values and so on. These are the elements that strengthen spiritually, morally, socially, psychologically. We need to anoint and motivate the people with the above elements to cure the sickness and wounds both in us and in others.
Secondly, Jesus gave authority to drive away the unclean spirits. We need to use the same authority to expel the unclean spirits in us and in others. The indwelling unclean spirits are: wrong attitudes, destructive nature, all types of vices like anger, enmity, carelessness, irresponsibility, cheating, lust etc. These are to be expelled and replaced with the new spirit. At the beginning of the creation God breathed over man and gave him life. Jesus breathed over the apostles and gave them his spirit. Hence we too replace the unclean spirits with the spirit of Christ that consists of commitment to the will of God, of Gospel values, of generosity, of kindness, of piety, of responsibility, of endurance in difficulties and so on.
To carry on this mission we need to be strengthened. This strength is given to us when we depend upon God’s providence. It is for this reason Jesus asks his disciples to carry no food, no sack, no money, and no tunic. That is to say no botheration of anything but Mission. At the same time he asks them to wear sandals. When Moses was approaching the burning bush, he was asked to remove sandals for the place where he stands is holy and approaching holy God. Now the disciples are in the corruptive world and going in to the midst of wolves as he said “I am sending you like lambs amongst the wolves”. Another thing allowed is walking stick which is the symbol of self support, self protection from dangerous creatures and a punishing rod. This walking stick that we need to carry is nothing else but the word of God. With this we can successfully carry on the Mission of preparing ourselves as well as others for the Kingdom of God through repentance.
-Fr John Raju Junjunuri