Jesus sent forth the first Christian missionaries with "nothing for the journey, neither walking staff nor traveling bag; no bread, no money" (Lk 9:3). Jesus sends us forth with nothing but trust in Him. He even lets us "feel like men condemned to death so that we might trust, not in ourselves, but in God" (2 Cor 1:9). When we come to the realization that without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5), then we can do something powerful in proclaiming and building the kingdom of God. In this trust, there is power.

When we proclaim God's kingdom, we invite others to joyfully sell all and give all they have to purchase the precious pearl of the kingdom (see Mt 13:44-46). In effect, we invite them to trust God with their whole lives. To effectively communicate this message of total trust, we need to be living lives of trust in God. In this trust, there is power to communicate the gospel.

In the old, worldly kingdom, we were told to trust no one except the world's political, financial, educational, medical, and media institutions. This misplaced trust led to our failure, defeat, slavery, self-hatred, self-destruction, and the degradation of our personal dignity. But when we trust in God, there is power, freedom, hope, and love. Trust in God alone.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, February 7, 2002

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 12, 2002