Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for September 24, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s September 24th and we have a historic scene in today’s gospel. Really the beginning of the full mission of the church. Up until this point, Jesus had been proclaiming the gospel. Jesus had been healing. Jesus had been exercising. And he summons the 12 apostles. He gives them his authority and power to cure diseases and cast out demons. And then he sends out the 12. He sends them out with a particular packaging for the message that they would be proclaiming about the kingdom and the way that they would be showing its power through their healings and exorcisms. He sends them out with nothing. He says, “Take no walking stick. Take no sack full of clothes and supplies. Take no money bag. Take no food. Take no second tunic. Don’t even take a change of clothes if you’re going to get the first set dirty. Go out as messengers of God’s providence confident in showing that you have placed all your trust in God.
Then he tells them how to prepare for the reception. Not everybody’s going to receive them well. Just like people didn’t receive Jesus well. He said whatever place you enter and they welcome you, stay there. Be grateful. Don’t always be looking for a better deal. But he says, “Wherever you go and they do not welcome you rather than condemn them or curse them or pronounce a malediction, just wipe the dust off your feet and go to the next town. Don’t bear those grudges. Don’t arrive in the next place saying, “Let me tell you the horrible things that were done to me where I just was.” but instead to be a real proclaimer of the kingdom and of its power. Rejoice in the capacity to be able to share it with new people and to be able to show it.
This is what missionaries continue to do all across the globe. They are successors of the 12. They have been sent on out to proclaim the kingdom and to bring the real healing Jesus still very much wishes to give us. Healing in body, healing in soul from demons, healing in our psyche, healing in our spirit. Sent on out sent out poor. That’s the reason why priests live simple lives. That’s the reason why religious make promises of poverty, chastity, and obedience to proclaim that Jesus is their true treasure, their true love, and their true freedom. And they’re sent on out. Some places they’re received so well. And that seed of the gospel bears great fruit. In some places, they are rejected. It’s part for the course. But we dust off and we go on.
Today, we pray for all missionaries. We pray for Pope Leo who’s leading the church’s worldwide fishing expedition that we might continue effectively the mission that began in today’s gospel when Jesus entrusted the apostles with his own work of the world’s salvation.
God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on:
Gospel
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.