Hello everyone.
Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where we read the daily gospels and the saint of the day.
Let’s get started.
Today is Wednesday, September 24th, and the gospel reading is Luke 9, 1 through 6, and the scripture to reflect on is Luke 9, 2.
He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.
When you’re first writing to ride a bike, you don’t just jump on and suddenly you’re a pro, right?
First you might have training wheels and then someone guides you as your pedal.
Faster! Going, going, woohoo! You realize you’re riding by yourself.
We can think of this when we think about how Jesus sent his disciples out to proclaim the good news.
First he taught them what they needed to know, then he sent the Holy Spirit to guide them, and then they were ready to go, go, go and spread the good news.
Of course, they were never alone.
The Holy Spirit was with them, just like he is with you.
Today’s saint of the day, Saint John Henry Newman.
He was born in the year 1801 and died in 1890.
He is the patron saint of Newman Centers, a Catholic faith group on college campus.
He is also considered a doctor of the church.
John Henry Newman was the oldest of six children.
He grew up with two brothers and three sisters and good parents.
He learned a lot from his parents and from one grandmother and aunt.
Even when he was a child, John Henry liked to write stories and at his elementary school he started two magazines.
He continued writing stories and books all his life.
He also played violin when he was young and continued to do this throughout his life too.
He was a poet and theologian before becoming an Anglican priest.
As an Anglican priest, he became the leader of an organization who wanted to bring some traditional Catholic teaching back into the Anglican church.
Eventually, along with some of his followers, he converted and was received into the Catholic church.
He helped to found the Catholic University in Ireland.
This became University College Dublin and is still the largest university in Ireland.
He wrote several books and some hymns, which are still popular today.
John Henry Newman had a great faith, which gave him courage to follow what he believed.
Jesus sent his 12 disciples to do special work.
Jesus gave them power to heal sick people and send out bad spirits.
He also told them to preach about God’s kingdom, which means teaching people about God’s love.
This passage teaches us that telling people about God and helping others is important work.
God wants his followers to trust him to take care of their needs.
We should have courage and faith when doing God’s work.
John Henry Newman let God lead, no matter the cost.
He often wrote poetry and hymns.
He wrote a hymn that said, wherever God leads him, he would go no matter how he felt.
You can see it if you find the song today.
It’s called Lead Kindly Light.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus and his disciples to teach about you.
Help us to be brave and kind as we share your love with others.
Help me to be led by you to share the good news to everyone, even if I don’t feel up to it.
Saint John Henry Newman, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!