Thursday 10 July

Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9;Ps 80; Matthew 10:7-15

No free lunches

Jesus instructs the Apostles. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay. Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff”. Jesus has given them the talents to spread the gospel but told them not to expect any reward on earth. No ‘free lunches’. In our materialistic world Matthew’s passage could be discouraging for some. The ‘Good News’ still needs to be spread so shall we get on with it to the best of our ability, in the hope that the rewards will come later - by just being Christian?