Reading
Jesus said, “Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food.”
Matthew 10:9–10, RSV
Reflection
“We should not be surprised, therefore, that monasticism has always remained one of the most effective forms of Christian witness, for monks and nuns must learn to travel light, to offer and receive hospitality, to trust one another for the very ability to live. Monasticism was not, of course, necessarily founded as a form of witness to those not Christian, but the attractive character of monastic life makes monks and nuns witnesses to strangers almost in spite of themselves, for the joy that radiates from truthful worship of God proves to be an irresistible witness to those who have not yet been confronted by Jesus’s summons. All people are created for such joy.”
Stanley Hauerwas, Matthew, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brazos Press, 2006, p. 107.