shake it off
“If any place will not receive you or hear you, shake its dust from your feet in testimony against them as you leave.” —Mark 6:11
Jesus commands His disciples to shake the dust off their feet and move on if they are not received by a town (Mk 6:11). Shaking the dust off our feet after being rejected takes an act of humility. In so doing, we must acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior and Healer; we are not. We must renounce our pride and admit that our best efforts could not cause the hearts of our hearers to be opened. It requires humility and faith, not anger, to then move on to the next opportunity to minister. We need faith to believe that our future efforts are not doomed to failure (see Rm 4:16).
Today’s psalm states: “Lord, You are exalted over all” (see 1 Chr 29:11). The Lord causes success, not ourselves. We do our best in ministry, serving in charity, in self-emptying, humble love. But when we are not received, we don’t close the door to any future contact, but rather move on as Jesus did (see Mk 1:38). As we move on to the next ministry opportunity, we don’t bring baggage and wounds, because we have shaken them off our feet (Mk 6:11). Instead, we are fully available to the next person to whom the Lord calls us to minister.
Certainly, we don’t “move on” from family once we are wounded. But “shaking off the dust” is a good way to love them anew with a healed and refreshed heart. Give your wounded heart to Jesus. He will hide your heart inside His Sacred Heart and heal you with His love. He “will give you a new heart” (Ez 36:26).
Prayer: Father, cleanse my heart (Ps 51:12). May I not “brood over injuries” (1 Cor 13:5), but shake them off as You command.
Promise: “They expelled many demons, anointed the sick with oil, and worked many cures.” —Mk 6:13
Praise: St. Ansgar was a monk living in a French abbey. His life dramatically changed when he was named bishop of all Scandinavia.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"
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