The disciples returned to Jesus, full of joy, for they had experienced the truth of what they had been sent out to do. They told Jesus what they had done, and Jesus immediately responded: See what I have done. We can read Jesus’ words in different ways. For example, they can appear as a correction: Jesus reminding His disciples that everything they had accomplished resulted from the power over demons He had given them when He sent them out.

More positively, we may read Jesus’ words as a further step in His ongoing formation of his disciples. We learn to reflect on our day, recognising what we have done to praise, give reverence and serve God. Our reflection is much more profound when it includes an acknowledgement of what God has done for us when we make our own affirmation of Mary in her Magnificat: “He who is mighty has done great things for me.”

The two moments of reflection and acknowledgement, namely what we have done for God and what God has done for us, do not stand in opposition but are two aspects of God’s grace operative in our lives.