Saints Paul Miki and his Companions, Martyrs

I have always loved this Gospel, which states, “began to send them out two by two”. That line has always told me how important it is to live our lives with others, having a companion to help me lead, to keep me in check and a feeling of being very much a part of the lives of others. The Gospel also reminds me of the “power of presence”, -“staying there until you leave there”. We are such a time-oriented society; it is nice to be reminded that people do matter and that stopping and taking a few extra minutes to greet someone, visit with someone, to share a true concern for and about another person is a blessing. “Shaking the dust off your feet,” tells me to not get bogged down or feel heavy when others do not welcome your message, your joy or your willingness to share. As someone stated, we simply need to “pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off” and start anew in living our lives, following the contemporary phrase, WWJD- What Would Jesus Do?