Today’s Gospel is an impetus for the third Luminous Mystery of the Rosary: the proclamation of the Kingdom of God with its call to repentance. Jesus charges his Apostles to go out and proclaim that the Kingdom is at hand, with all its accompanying signs and wonders. We have to understand that this is the Church’s main job in every time and place. We are now the ones who have to proclaim the Kingdom of God and call people to repentance by the witness of our lives.
We are now the ones called to drive out demons, cure the sick, and all the rest. We do this by being Christ’s presence in a world that is sorely in need of it. We drive out demons by casting the glorious light of Christ into every dark corner. We cure the sick by reaching out to those who are ill, looking in on them, caring for them, bringing the Eucharist to them.
We also have to understand, though, that sometimes our efforts won’t prove fruitful. Sometimes our peace won’t be received because the other person is not peaceful. All we can do is do our best, offer Christ, and move on if that’s not accepted. And we have to trust that God will give us everything we need on our journey.