Amos 7:12-15 / Ephesians 1:3-14 / Mark 6:7-13
There are certain things in life that are so obvious that it goes without saying. It can be so essential and fundamental that it is like a foregone conclusion.
So, when it goes without saying, it means that it is unwritten, unspoken but understood.
So, what are the things in life that goes without saying? For example, when we step out of the house, what are the things that we must bring along?
Certainly, we must bring along some kind of identification, like the Identification Card, in case of an emergency.
Along with that, we need to bring along the TraceTogether token, some money or some kind of credit card, and of course our mobile phones.
And nowadays, the mobile phone is so essential when we leave home. We scan the QR codes, we do the TraceTogether SafeEntry check in, and other things besides.
There is even a term for the fear of the loss of the mobile phone or the fear of being detached from mobile phone connectivity, and it is called “nomophobia”.
Yes, to bring along all these things when we step out of the house goes without saying. It is simply necessary.
In the gospel, when Jesus summoned His disciples and sent them out to preach the Good News, He gave them some instructions.
Jesus instructed them to take nothing for the journey, except a staff - no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses, not even a spare tunic.
And then Jesus mention something that is rather strange, that seems obvious, and even goes without saying. And that is the disciples were to wear sandals. That is like understood, isn't it?
So, it means to take along a staff, and with whatever they were wearing, they were to have sandals on their feet. That is as basic as it can be, and it even goes without saying.
But the disciples would have remembered that at the first Passover in the land of Egypt, their ancestors were told to eat the Passover meal with a staff in the hand, a belt around their waist and with sandals on their feet.
Because there was an urgency, that they need to hurry out of the land of Egypt and into freedom. There was no time to waste.
The disciples would have realized that, and they would also understand the urgency of their mission.
They would understand that the staff was a physical means of support, and that also pointed to God who would be their support and He would provide for them.
The sandals were not just for footwear but it also reminded them that God would lead them along the way, just as He had led their ancestors to freedom and along the journey in the desert.
So, what does the gospel tell us in our present times and in our current situation?
We don't need to carry a staff to go around. As for the rest of the necessities, most of us can say that we have enough.
But there is an urgency, an urgency like that of the first Passover, and urgency like that when Jesus sent out His disciples.
We can't go out much nowadays, but that does not mean that there is nothing for us to do in the mission of preaching the Good News.
Our mobile phones have become the tools and the means of our mission.
Our parish sends out prayer notices via the messaging apps for Parish Prayer evenings on Sundays and on Wednesdays, and for the Sacred Heart Devotion on Fridays, as well as for the 13th of the month Rosary with Mary.
All these prayer sessions are online and we can participate in them whether at home or anywhere else.
If we have been receiving these messages, let us also share it those who are not in our so-called “mailing list”.
This is the current means for us to proclaim the Good News of God's love to those who need spiritual support and a sense of spiritual belonging and connection.
And especially during these times, official data has shown that there is a substantial increase in the number of those who are lonely and lost and feeling least relevant in these fast-changing times.
So there is still Good News to be preached, there are needy people to be ministered to, there are people who would want to listen to a caring voice even though it may be just over the phone.
The urgency is greater now than before. Jesus is sending us out to be the missionaries of His love.
He will be the staff for our support and He will direct our steps in the way of peace. That goes without saying.