Good and capable doctors or healers are not easy to find. When we come across one, we would do our utmost best to try and ensure the person remains in our village, town or even city. Many would flock to such a person for treatment, making it less likely for the person to want to move elsewhere, since such a person's services is sorely needed. But sometimes, due to reasons other than economics or popularity, such a person may eventually need to move.
When it comes to priests and religious, they too may be quite sought after, especially when they are good and capable preachers, counsellors, teachers or spiritual guides. We try to get them to remain with us, and some may go so far as to even write to the bishop or superior petitioning that they stay, but ultimately, they may still need to go elsewhere to serve.
In today's Gospel, the crowds went to look for Jesus, "and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, 'I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.' And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea."
Jesus could have easily been happy and comfortable to remain in one place and do His teaching and healing there, but that would mean that He was only satisfying His personal needs. Instead, He chose to do the will of God by going to other places to teach and heal, since He was sent to proclaim the Good News to many places, not just remain in one. In the same way, we too need to realise that when a priest or religious is transferred to another place, the priest or religious would move on because he or she is doing the will of God. Instead of making it difficult for him or her to move, let us be thankful for the gift of the priest or religious for having been with us for all these years, and let us continue to pray for him or her, so that he or she would remain faithful to his or her duty and vocation.
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