giving these commands to his Twelve disciples

“When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.” (MT 11: 1)

Our Lord’s priorities: first—“his Twelve disciples” and later—“He went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.” First is my spouse, our marriage, our children and our family; later comes my work, my surroundings, my parish, my city and my country. We need our rituals to spend time together and to know each other in depth, sharing feelings and mutually experiencing each other. Without enough time for us, there will be no effective time for others. 

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” (Gospel Acclamation)