Homily for Wednesday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel, Jesus sends His Apostles on a mission and tells them to travel lightly. He wants them to trust the hospitality of those to whom they will preach the Gospel. Instead of being self-reliant, He wants them to rely on others and trust in God, who will actively help them through the service of others.

Most of us like to be somewhat self-sufficient, but we are only partially so. In our early lives, we depended on our parents and others. As we move toward the end of our lives, we will again need others to care for us. Between these two periods of total dependence, we still depend on others for things we do not have within ourselves, and others rely on us for what they do not have.

The Lord encourages us to welcome others' generous service and to offer what we have. Each of us has much to give and much to receive. The joy of giving and the fulfillment of receiving are both gifts from God, for it is in our service of one another that we all experience God's love and providence.