Fourteenth Sunday of the Year July 03, 2022
Isaiah 66:10-14; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke10:1-12, 17-20
A preacher was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the following night. But he arrived a day early. He came unannounced and sat on the grass with the crowd. In front of him sat an elderly gentleman who seemed to be listening attentively to the preaching. When the call came for people to come forward and make a commitment to the Lord, the gentleman did not move. Dr Graham tapped the man on the shoulder and asked, "Would you like to accept Christ? I'll be glad to walk down with you if you want to." The old man looked him up and down, shook his head and said, "Naw, I think I'll just wait till the big gun shows up tomorrow night." In the thinking of this man and in the thinking of many people, winning souls for Christ is something that should be reserved for the "big guns." Today's gospel story, however, shows us that mission is for everyone, big guns and little shots alike, the clergy as well as the laity.
Let us understand the gist of the readings of the day:
The first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is a loving and tender promise of God to protect and provide for His people. He promised abundance of blessings: “I will spread prosperity over her like a river, and the wealth of nations like an overflowing torrent.” He promised comfort and lasting peace: “As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you.”
The second reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. He gives praise and glory to the cross of Christ: “May I never boast of anything, but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is the cross of Christ that renewed his life; it also renews the life of the world: “All that matters is that one is created anew.” When people follow the law of the cross, then there is peace in their lives: “Peace and mercy on all who follow this rule of life, and on the Israel of God.”
In today’s gospel from Luke, Jesus nominates seventy-two of his disciples and sends them out ‘ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit’ (Lk 10:1). He gives them specific instructions about what they are to do and how they are to conduct themselves. Their mission is to heal the sick and proclaim that the kingdom of God is very near to them (cf. Lk 10:9). They are to leave immediately and to travel light – without purse, haversack or sandals. They are to salute no one on the road (cf. Lk 10:4) and to rely on the hospitality of those who welcome them. Above all, they are to be peace-bearers. ‘I am sending you out’, he tells them, ‘like lambs among wolves’ (Lk 10:3), and ‘your first words’ on entering a house are to be ‘Peace to this house’ (Lk 10:5). Even if they meet with hostility or rejection, they are not let this disturb them but let their peace return to them.
Jesus tells them that there is seriousness about seeking and spreading the message of peace. He tells them not to indulge in distractions but get on with their work. Jesus recommends his disciples as they go on their mission, not to weigh themselves down with all kinds of bags and baggage. Their security is not in material possessions, such as money, property, protection, and comfort. His advice is that the missionaries as they go to proclaim peace and kingdom take no walking staff, or a travelling bag or sandals, but trust fully in the divine providence. Their security comes from deep within, security that no one or no circumstance can take away from them.
The work of the disciples is not going to be easy as they will be required to enter very precarious situations with absolute minimum equipment. They will be like lambs being sent out to work among wolves. The urgency of the mission is captured by the mandate that they go in poverty and emptiness and not greet anyone on the way, something that would appear very strange in a culture dominated by gestures of hospitality. The core of their message must be peace. It includes three things: first, they have to establish a community, a community of love. Second, they are called upon to heal those who are sick. Thirdly, they are to announce that the kingdom of God is close at hand. Their mission was to proclaim Jesus in their mission.
The mission of Jesus therefore is not limited to priests and religious. It is the mission of everyone. In our families, the mission of the father and mother, together with children, is to build a community of love and serve. It is a community that feels for the other who is in need – the sick and the suffering neighbour. Through this they live in the values of the kingdom of God – love joy and peace.
Happy Sunday
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