“There Were Women with Them Who Provided for Them Out of Their Means”

Today’s Gospel is only three verses long, yet within these few words Saint Luke gives us a beautiful glimpse into the mission of Jesus and the people who helped sustain it.

Jesus is travelling through cities and villages, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve are with Him, but Saint Luke makes a point of telling us that they are not alone. There are also women accompanying Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others.

These women were not simply names in the background of the Gospel. Their presence teaches us something important about discipleship, gratitude and the many quiet ways in which the work of God is carried forward.

Lives Touched by the Mercy of Christ

Saint Luke tells us that some of these women had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary Magdalene is mentioned particularly as one “from whom seven demons had gone out.”

Their encounter with Jesus had changed their lives. They had experienced His healing and mercy, and their response was not limited to words of gratitude. What they had received from Christ began to shape the way they lived.

They followed Him. They served His mission. They used what they possessed to help Jesus and His disciples continue proclaiming the Kingdom.

Their gratitude became service, and their faith became generosity.

There is something deeply Christian in this. When we truly encounter the goodness of God, gratitude should gradually move beyond what we say and become visible in the way we live. The grace we receive is meant to bear fruit.

The Quiet Work Behind the Mission

We often notice the person preaching, teaching or standing before the congregation. We do not always notice the many people whose quiet sacrifices make that ministry possible.

The Gospel reminds us that the mission of Christ was supported by people whose service may have seemed ordinary. These women provided for Jesus and the Twelve “out of their means.” They shared what they had so that the work of proclaiming the Kingdom could continue.

Not every act of discipleship happens before a crowd.

Much of the life of the Church still depends upon this same hidden generosity. A parent quietly teaching a child to pray, someone caring for an elderly relative, a parishioner giving time to serve the Church, a person supporting the poor, someone contributing financially to a worthy ministry, or a believer faithfully praying for others may never receive public recognition.

Yet God sees what is offered in love.

What appears small in the eyes of the world can become something precious when placed at the service of Christ.

What Has God Placed in My Hands?

Today’s Gospel invites each of us to ask a simple question: What has God entrusted to me that I can place at the service of His Kingdom?

Perhaps we sometimes imagine that serving God requires something extraordinary. We may think we need remarkable talents, great wealth, public influence or a special position in the Church.

But God begins with what we already have.

Our time can be offered to Him. Our abilities can serve another person. Our resources can support the work of the Church and those in need. Our home can become a place of hospitality. Our profession can become a place where honesty and Christian charity are lived. Even our attention can become a gift when we stop long enough to listen to someone who is suffering.

The important question is not whether what we possess appears impressive. The question is whether we are willing to place it in the hands of God.

Every Member Has a Place in Christ’s Mission

This short passage also reveals something beautiful about the community gathered around Jesus.

There are the Twelve, but there are also Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and “many others.” Different people, different backgrounds and different circumstances are being drawn into one mission centred on Christ.

The Church continues to live this reality today.

Christ calls men and women, clergy and laity, young and old, each according to his or her vocation and gifts, to participate in the life and mission of His Church. We do not all serve in the same way, but every faithful offering has its place when it is united to Christ.

This protects us from the temptation to compare our service with that of others. God may call one person to preach and another to support. One may teach while another quietly prays. One may give financially while another gives hours of patient service.

What matters is faithfulness.

The Kingdom of God is not built by people competing to be noticed. It grows through disciples who are willing to give themselves to Christ.

Serving Without Needing to Be Seen

There is another beautiful lesson hidden in the final words of this Gospel. These women provided for Jesus and His companions, yet the passage contains no suggestion that they were seeking recognition.

They simply served.

This is difficult in a world where so much of life is displayed, measured and compared. We can easily begin to believe that something has little value unless other people notice it.

The Gospel teaches us otherwise.

There are sacrifices known only to God. There are prayers nobody hears, acts of generosity nobody applauds and works of love that may never be publicly acknowledged.

They are not forgotten.

Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and the many unnamed women served Christ during His earthly ministry. Their faithfulness became part of the Gospel story, and centuries later the Church still hears of their generosity whenever this passage is proclaimed.

We should never underestimate what God can do with a life quietly offered to Him.

Let Our Gratitude Become Service

These women had received something from Christ, and what they received changed what they were willing to give.

The same should happen within us.

We have received the Gospel. We have received the gift of faith. In the Eucharist, Christ gives us His very self. In Reconciliation, He offers forgiveness and restores us through His mercy. Every day we live beneath the patience and providence of God.

The proper response to such grace is not simply to say that we are grateful. Our gratitude should gradually become a life offered back to God.

We may never travel from village to village alongside Jesus as Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna did. Yet the same Christ still calls us to participate in His mission.

He asks us to begin with what is already in our hands.

And when even an ordinary gift is offered with faith and love, God can use it for something far greater than we imagined.

Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus Christ,
You called men and women to walk with You and allowed them to share in the work of proclaiming Your Kingdom.

Give us grateful hearts that recognize all we have received from Your hands. Teach us to place our time, our gifts, our resources and our lives at the service of Your Gospel.

May we never consider an act of love too small, an act of generosity insignificant, or faithful service wasted, for whatever is offered to You with love can become an instrument of Your grace.

Deliver us from the desire to be praised or noticed. Teach us instead to serve faithfully, even when our sacrifices are known only to You.

Like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and the many others who accompanied You, may our encounter with Your mercy bear fruit in lives of generosity and faithful discipleship.

Make us humble in spirit, generous in service and joyful in following You, so that everything You have entrusted to us may help in the building of Your Kingdom.

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.