Accompanying Jesus

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Luke 8:1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

Opening Prayer: Blessed are you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. Grant me the grace of humility to be a little one of God, the grace to understand what you reveal to me, and the grace to follow where you lead me.

Encountering Christ:

1. The Women: To our modern ears, it is difficult to grasp how radical it was for women to be among Jesus and his disciples, especially women considered ritually impure due to their infirmities and sinful lifestyle. A Gospel commentary says, “Early rabbinic documents caution against speaking with women in public. The more common attitude of first-century Palestinian Judaism toward women is expressed in the Gospel of John (4:27): “At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he (Jesus) was talking with a woman […].” To accompany means to be in association with, so Jesus not only spoke to women, he included them as his disciples. What could it have been about Jesus, an itinerant preacher, that encouraged women to break free of societal limitations and join him? In his Letter to Women, St. John Paul II explained, “Transcending the established norms of his own culture, Jesus treated women with openness, respect, acceptance, and tenderness. In this way he honored the dignity which women have always possessed according to God’s plan and in his love.” The Good News of the Kingdom of God proclaims every person possesses a dignity given by God in love. The bad news is many people do not know this. As disciples of Christ, may we be ambassadors of this Good News to our world.
2. The Apostles: “Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women.” The Apostles had to learn, as the women did, to imagine a new way of being—what Jesus called the Kingdom of God. St. Cyprian, whose feast we celebrate today, said, “It may even be . . . that the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign.” To set our minds and hearts on God, like the Apostles and the woman who accompanied Jesus did, we have to journey with him. Jesus took time with his disciples, teaching and witnessing to them about what life in God means. The presence of Jesus now dwells in the Church, through the Eucharist, the sacraments, Church teachings, and his word. Do we participate in the sacraments, especially the Mass and Reconciliation? Do we spend time with our Lord in Adoration of his Blessed Sacrament? Are we learning what our Church teaches? Are we spending time with Jesus, the Word, in Scripture
3. Christian Unity: From when Jesus walked among us, through the many centuries of the Church, and until today, men and women struggle with societal limitations. We continue to be disunified as a Church. St. Cyprian said, “You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother…. God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body…. If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace.” The work of the Christian, as it was from the beginning, is to seek unity by lovingly accompanying each other, regardless of race, sex, religion, ideologies, politics, lifestyles, cultures, etc. It can be a daunting task, for which we need the strength of the sacraments.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you came to unite all people to you. I continue to criticize, judge, and separate myself from others. I find strength and consolation in that, knowing our weakness, you gave us your Church to journey with us. I ask for the grace to persevere in helping you unite us all in your Kingdom.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend some time praying for unity before Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

For Further Reflection: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Synod Prayer for Unity.

Nan Balfour is an events coordinator for Pilgrim Center of Hope, a Catholic Evangelization Ministry that answers Christ’s call by guiding people to encounter him so as to live in hope as pilgrims in daily life. She is also a mother, writer, and speaker on Catholic topics.