As we read from the Wisdom Literature of the Hebrew Scriptures again today, I am also reminded of the wisdom of a modern day saint whom we commemorate today, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. His advice to all who came to him was, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
St. Padre Pio was known for his charity, his piety, his ability in the confessional, and for the stigmata which marked his body for so many years. His charity was demonstrated by his care for the poor. Today the hospital he built still cares for the poor who cannot afford medical treatment even though that hospital is now run by the government of the city. His piety drew hundreds to church to watch him devoutly celebrate the Eucharist. In the confessional he had an uncanny way of being able to tell when the penitent was holding something back out of shame, assisting them in making a good confession. The stigmata he bore on his body was a source of wonder in all who met him.
His advice to “pray, hope, and don’t worry,” is a simple retelling of today’s Gospel passage. As Jesus send his apostles out to preach, he tells them to rely on the goodness of the people whom they will meet for their food and their bodily needs. They were not to take anything with them, relying on God to take care of them through those who would hear the Gospel they preached.
The Gospel is a challenge for us today in a day and age where the list of needs has expanded beyond food and a second tunic. But it is a consistent message in the Gospel that material possessions can hinder our ability to live the Gospel life.
At the end of every Mass, we are dismissed with another simple retelling of the Gospel commission as we are told to “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life,” or to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.”
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator