If we are given an important task in our job, would we get to work immediately, or would we take things easy and procrastinate, thinking that the task could wait, no matter how urgent it may be? Quite likely we would get to work quickly, as our livelihood may be at stake, and we would want to make a good impression on our bosses or superiors, hoping that we would get a promotion or better pay. We certainly would not want to jeopardise our future by being lazy or complacent.
However, if it is Jesus calling us to perform an important task, how would we respond? In today’s reading: “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’” We can see the urgency and gravity of the task Jesus had given to the Twelve, and they had to go forth quickly and not be concerned or saddled with things which could hinder them from performing the task. Would we be willing to follow the Twelve’s example and perform the task quickly, as our eternal future may be at stake, or would we still procrastinate and remain complacent, thinking that we have more important things to do?