THE WORD
2 Sm 11,1-4.5-10.13-17 / Mk 4,26-34 /(or Rm 15,13-19.20-21 / Lk 10,1-9)
After this the Lord appointed seventy (two) others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another.”
IN OTHER WORDS
As a new priest I had high ideals on how and what an SVD missionary should be. The words of Jesus in the Gospel today were then very clear in my mind and I thought these would be mine.
I was assigned in Socorro, Surigao del Norte, an island paradise facing the Paci c Ocean where the Catholic population was a very small minority. The mode of transport was by boat. There were roads but passable only by motor bike and I had none, so when my assignment was inland, I walked; when the village I went to was on the shoreline, I would take the boat. Every time I scheduled a visit to a chapel, I would always be at a dilemma. The closest walk would be 4 km., the next 7 km., then 9 km., and finally 11 km. Only one chapel was not accessible by land. I had no problem walking the distance back and forth. I didn’t have to spend any money, and that was ideal. Not until my body complained. Then I would take the boat, which was relaxing but the parish could not afford the expense. I was given a big boat with a big engine which was a fuel guzzler. Every time I would go by boat, the expense would be around a thousand pesos while the collection would only be around 200. This was bad economics.
I would not abandon my ideals so I chose to walk to the chapels except the one which could not be reached by land. As an ambulant missionary I made my visit bringing only the necessary things and entrusted my subsistence to the people I served. When my body clamored for attention there was always the local hilot who would restore my energy. I lived in poverty then.
That was 26 years ago. Today, I live in the city. I still strive to cling to my ideals but these are always challenged by the practical needs of the present. Personally, I am poor but with many facilities at my disposal. I realized that though Jesus’ time was different from ours, the essence of mission is still the same: Stay focused and follow the way of Jesus.
- Fr. Rodrigo Salac, SVD | HNU, Tagbilaran City, Bohol
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience. The Word in other words 2016
