Year C

14TH SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME

► Text of Sunday Reflection

“We are called to be like him”
by Fr Koenraad Van Gucht SDB

One of the delightful sights of an Irish Spring is a green field filled with new-born lambs. Never too far from the mother-ewes, these cute little creatures create a tableau that speaks of trust and peace and that all is well with the world. New life brings fresh hope.

Today Jesus asks his disciples to be like lambs: to be the gentle ones; meek, mild, trusting the Lord; lambs are symbols of peace. Isn’t Jesus called the Lamb of God?

And we are called to be like him, to be people of peace, to be AT peace in God’s love, and to be bearers of peace as we connect with others. We’re unlikely to say ‘peace be with you’ when we arrive on someone’s doorstep, but people will very quickly pick up whether we’re bringers of peace or dissension, or, to put it differently, of ease or dis-ease, of goodness or scandal, of good cheer or gloom.

Jesus gives a few more bits of travel advice as he commissions his disciples. They’re to travel in pairs. We’re not asked to go it alone, to be lone rangers warding off the wolves. We’re in it together, giving strength and courage to each other on the journey.

Journey means movement: Go, says Jesus, don’t stay where you are, in the comfort zone of the familiar, within the small circle of aquaintances, locked into your own ideas; stuck in your old traditions; Rather, go, move, leave the well-worn paths and venture out along new ways to where there are new needs.

But travel light: don’t be weighed down or distracted by the non-essentials; nor carry airs and graces, or judgements and prejudices or whatever it is that gets in the way of an open encounter. We’re asked to go as we are, and meet others as they are. To be authentic.

And so there is no place for superficiality. Genuine encounter is not achieved by glib words, but by touching people’s lives. So STAY in the house where you’re welcomed, says Jesus, accept the hospitaliy that’s offered; enter into relationship. It requires trust and humility and openness and time. It costs. But that is the only place where you will announce the Gospel, BE Good news.

Nowhere does Jesus say it’s going to be easy. He’s leaves no doubt about the challenges and pitfalls. But from him we learn that it is selflessness that births new life; forgiveness that leads to new opportunities; mercy and compassion that drive out the demons.

They are the Christian values that give hope for the future.

► Readings, Reflections & Prayers

Scripture readings: Association for Catholic Priests
– www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie
Reflections and Prayers by Fr Jack Finnegan SDB

1st Reading – Isaiah 66:10-14

Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her- that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bodies shall flourish like the grass; and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, and his indignation is against his enemies.

Reflection

Our first reading today is taken from Third Isaiah, a part of the book that dates from the time after the Hebrew exiles returned from captivity to Jerusalem (chapters 55-66). Third Isaiah is full of bright visions and hopeful images, like the one of compassionate Mother Jerusalem we are meditate on today. We meet our God as the Holy One who endows Mother Jerusalem with all the nurturing qualities she needs to comfort, support and nourish her children after the long ordeal of captivity. God will spread prosperity – his shalom-peace – like a river and people will be comforted as a mother heals, comforts and encourages her children! Today’s reading blesses us with words of healing, words to restore, hearten and embolden us! Are we up for the challenge of compassionate service in the power of the Spirit, especially among those escaping oppression, war, and political violence?

Prayer

LORD, Adonai, bless Jerusalem in our day! Bless the people who live there with true peace! May your peace flow like a river in our troubled world! Your love is abundant, your compassion is unlimited! Your care is never lacking even when we fail to recognise your loving presence in our midst. Like a devoted mother you carry us! May I recognise your loving presence in the world! May I acknowledge you always! May I be faithful all my days! Even when I seem to be praying in the dark, even when you seem to be hiding your face, may I exult in you, the God of my salvation! Send comforters to your people, to Jerusalem, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20

Reflection

Today we pray a psalm of gratitude and praise for nationwide deliverance: through the river they passed on foot. We have seen such pictures on the news, but here the poet brings us back to imagery derived from the Jewish people’s original flight from captivity. We are celebrating God’s awesome presence and tremendous deeds made visible in and through history. In fact, the poet invites us to do just that: Come and see the works of God! Blessed are those who have met the Lord, those who have heard his loving call. We rejoice, because God never takes back his life-changing love, never refuses his kindness. As we sing our songs of gratitude and praise today we acknowledge that God alone is the living, loving answer to the cry for life to the full that lies in every one of our hearts! Are we open to the gift of lively happiness in God? Have we the courage to raise a joyful refrain?

Prayer

LORD, Adonai, bless the earth our home! May all of creation rejoice in your blessing! May all the earth worship and bless you singing praise to your glorious Name! You are our God forever, our God living, loving and true! What wonders you work for us! Indeed we are glad! You are the Bringer of Freedom, the Bringer of Peace! You are the Joy of Deliverance! With you we cross rivers and seas dry shod! We stand in Promised Land. May we never tire of worshipping you! May we wait on you who never refuse your kindness! The whole earth is full of your glory! May we praise your glorious holy Name! May we cry Hosanna with tambourine and dancing like the angels! May we praise you now and forever! Amen.

2nd Reading: Galatians 6:14-18

May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule ?” peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Reflection

Throughout this Letter, which we have been reading for some weeks now, Paul is defending his authority and the authenticity of his teaching against other preachers who rejected his teaching on circumcision. Now we come to the concluding words written in large letters in Paul’s own hand. Paul’s point here is straightforward: nothing more was needed for salvation than the Cross of Christ! In fact, he glories in the Cross and points to his own wounds, his badge of apostolic suffering. He emphasises the Cross because he wants first to reassure his Galatian friends and then to dissuade them from following those who would lead them astray. The Cross of Christ is the way to becoming a new creation, the door to a new existence in the grace of Jesus Christ. Nothing more is needed. The Cross is enough. Like Paul, may we walk with Christ on the journey of life, ready like Paul to take responsibility for the consequences of our choice!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, you touched Paul’s life! You changed him utterly! Touch us today with your healing love. Bring us into the Father’s presence. Bring us into the place of Oneness. You are the Crucified-Risen One! May we exalt you! May we rejoice in your loving presence! May we glory in your friendship! May your peace be alive in our hearts! May your Spirit dwell in us in lavish abundance! May we be faithful servants of your peace and mercy! May we walk daily in your living Word rejoicing! May we seek you day by day! May we hold what is yours and let go of the rest! Now and forever. Amen.

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:1-12,17-20

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ And I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Reflection

The mission of the seventy-two is special to Luke and is a powerful symbol of the Christian mission to the world: for at that time it was believed that there were seventy-two nations. The disciples are told to speak words of life to those who accept and those who reject their ministry of peace. We can hear echoes of this gospel in the maxim attributed to St Francis: preach the gospel at all times and, when necessary use words. There is another level to the symbolism at work in Luke. It is not we who speak the word of life but Christ. It is Christ who is Truth Bearer. It is Christ who is the Loving Bringer of God’s Freedom. He is the Peace-Maker, the One-Who-Saves. The gospel is and always has been the saving work of Jesus, a saving moment that is cosmic in its extent, touching all time and every aspect of creation, healing the relationship with God. Jesus is preparing his disciples to share his message: “the kingdom of God is at hand for you.” Our task as Christians is to witness to the Christ event and the person at its centre by the spiritual and ethical quality of our lives. There is an urgency to this task. But it also requires an accurate sense of detachment: the mission is not mine, it was, is and always will be Christ’s. It is so easy to forget that. It is so easy to forget that I must first work on myself if I am to work humbly with others. We are not people of power. We are earthenware vessels, lambs among wolves.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, cradle us today in your abiding love. Let us walk with you and talk with you today. Help us be your witnesses here where we live. With you we turn to the Father and we pray: Father, the harvest is rich. Send new labourers into the harvest lest it be lost to war and oppression, to the exploitive ways of darkness and persecution. May we know you as the Peace-Maker, the One-Who-Saves! Touch us with your living Presence! We are truly earthenware vessels, lambs among wolves! Yet you call us to be peace-bearers, peace-makers, world-healers, witnesses to your compassion for all that is. Remind us again that we are not people of power. Remind us again that the mission is not ours. It was, is and always will be yours. Now and forever. Amen.

► Lectio Divina

by Fr Juan José Bartolomé SDB

Introduction to Lectio Divine

In his account of the mission of the seventy-two disciples, Luke introduces Jesus’ programme for his community as they engage in the mission. The shortage of workers calls into action disciples with the qualities of gentleness, poverty of resources, lack of concern for their own interests and total commitment. They will proclaim the Kingdom of God to people in a way that is effective and sensitive. Since it does not depend on the capabilities of the people who are sent, the evangelizing mission must be carried out according to the will of the one who sends them. The apostle finds his strength and power in obedience.

Anyone who is sent to preach the Gospel cannot just follow his own ideas. The task of evangelization and the conditions for fulfilling the task are given by the one who sent them. They experience joy on their return from the mission. Doing one’s duty brings satisfaction. Miracles occur at their hands and God knows the people he has chosen. The reward for their work could not be better. However, being regarded by God as a subject of the Kingdom is more important that the triumph of their missionary work. What brings most joy is the awareness that, as they proclaim God to the world, they themselves are known by God.

Read: understand what the text is saying, focussing on how it says it

This passage is the account of the second apostolic mission that Jesus undertook during his ministry (Lk 10, 1-16; cfr. Lk.9, 1-6). The unfortunate omission in this liturgical version of the passage that refers to the rejection of Jesus and his stern rebuke (Lk 10,13-15) and his foretelling of the rejection of the people sent by him (Lk. 10,16),  robs the passage of its dramatic impact. Luke is the only one of the evangelists who mentions this mission of the seventy-two (or seventy according to some manuscripts). The task entrusted to them and the way they were to do it follows the model of their first mission (Lk 9, 1-6). It is significant that it ends by commenting on the joy the disciples got from the success of their mission (Lk10, 17), confirmed – and corrected – by Jesus himself. Their success was proof of the triumph of the Gospel, victory over evil. Evangelizers should be more interested in their own salvation than in the powers given to them (Lk 10, 19-20).

The mission of the seventy-two – the number of the peoples on earth according to Genesis Chapter 10, and of the ancients elected by Moses to help him in his work, according to Numbers 24 – was the result of a personal decision by Jesus. For their testimony to be credible, they are told to go in twos (cfr. Dt 19, 15).  Jesus wants his mission to be a shared mission, not an individual task but a shared enterprise. He multiplied the number of the people he sent, not just to have enough to send to all the places where he wanted to go (Lk 10, 1), but also because the harvest was great and the labourers few (Lk 10,2 Mt 9,27; Gn 4,35).

It is highly significant that the first instruction he gives to his disciples is to pray for an increase in their number (Lk 10, 2).  The work of evangelization must begin with prayer, asking God to send more labourers into the harvest. Those who are being sent know little about the task they are undertaking. They must put their trust in God.

They have no time to lose. They have a mandate that must be obeyed. They know they have been sent and so they set out immediately, knowing that they will face threats, that they must forego the security that comes from normal provisions, and they should not allow themselves to be distracted during their journey (Lk 10, 3-4). The people who receive the message should also receive the messenger. Those who reject the gospel will be rejected. Those who are sent by Jesus will live and stay only where the gospel is accepted. The apostles should have nothing more to do even with the dust from the place where their preaching has not been accepted.

It is not by mere chance that the mission succeeded, and the missionaries give the reason for their way of acting and testify to the joy they felt from being evangelizers. They have experienced the power of the gospel over evil (Lk 10, 17). Jesus points out another motive for great joy, the fact that his disciples have already been registered in the book of life (Exod. 32, 32; Ps.69, 28; 138, 16). They can be certain that they have been saved (Lk 10, 20). Could there be any greater recompense for the fulfilment of a mission?

Meditate: apply what the text says to life

While Jesus was proclaiming the urgency of the Kingdom, and wanting to increase the number of preachers, he decided, one day, to share his personal mission with a chosen group of disciples. He was anxious to find new listeners for his gospel and he felt the need for more preachers. He could find nobody better to send than the men who had been living with him and who knew him well. He sent them out, two by two, as many as he had been able to gather around him. Those who had followed him were now called to go ahead of him. Wherever he was thinking of going, they would have to go before him. This is a historic fact, but it also helps us to discover an important element of the discipleship of Jesus which is not often emphasized. Jesus transforms his followers into missionaries. He sends the people he knows. Only the apostles were his intimate friends. Those who were sent by Jesus would have to obey him, so Jesus sent those who had already obeyed him. His representatives would have to be people who had shared in his life. Only those who had been his companions on the journey could take his place.

Disciples of Jesus must take into consideration that, sooner or later, the Lord will send them into the world in his place and with his power. Jesus asks, and continues to ask, for followers who will go before him proclaiming the Kingdom. Disciples are not just people who remain always with Jesus. One day they will have to become his witnesses.  Jesus needs to know all about the people he chooses as his disciples to prepare them for the journey. Unless the disciples go before him, he cannot prepare for his coming nor can he count on being accepted. The world today, like Galilee in the time of Jesus, is in need of God. Both God and the world have need of witnesses who will proclaim that he is near. There was a great scarcity of witnesses then and there still is today. The urgency is so great that Jesus asks the disciples, not only for personal commitment, but also to pray for more witnesses. Willingness is not enough. The apostles need God’s blessing. Prayer is the best preparation. It is a stage they must pass before being sent as apostles. This is something that we, the disciples of Jesus who are being sent now, or hope to be sent, must not forget. Would-be evangelizers must pray before they can evangelize.

How can we pray to God to send apostles into the world, if we ourselves are not willing to be sent? Prayer that does not make us willing to do God’s will, is of little value.  Perhaps we think we are good disciples just because we want to be faithful, and because we are really concerned about the danger of moving away from Jesus and losing his love. We do all that is necessary to follow Jesus, but we leave it to others to be his witnesses in the world. Jesus does not want disciples who stay by his side until they meet difficulties, and then abandon him. He wants disciples who will never leave him even when they are sent out to proclaim the gospel, at his command and in his name.

We cannot go on calmly asking the Lord to send good apostles while, at the same time, we are afraid that he will send us or someone close to us. The first thing Jesus asked of those he was sending was to pray that God would send workers into his harvest. One way of knowing for sure that we are being sent is when we feel the need to ask for missionaries in our world. It often happens that the best Christians complain that our world is moving away from God. They genuinely wish for a radical change and they pray for it constantly, but at the same time they do not allow God to count on them. People who do not want to be sent and have no desire to be Christ’s apostles in the world, should not ask God to send missionaries, and should not think of themselves as good disciples.

Jesus tells his disciples to pray and he sends them to preach. Before he sends disciples into the world, he makes them his confidants, then he shares his life and his prayer with them, and finally he makes them his representatives in the world. Apart from the task entrusted to them, he also gives advice in the form of recommendations. The missionary needs to know that evangelizing is not easy.

Jesus warns his apostles that they will be like lambs among wolves that will surround them, far and near. But that will not be their biggest difficulty. Even though their lives will be under threat, Jesus does not promise safety or security.  They will have to bring little by way of equipment, and carry with them no provisions, only peace and urgency in proclaiming the gospel. The kingdom of God fills the hearts of Christ’s apostles. Those who proclaim the kingdom know that God takes care of their needs. Dedicating themselves completely to God means letting God take care of the work they do. The peace promised to the apostle is found only in God.  The apostles know that they are sent and so they cannot waste any time in reaching their destination. They should not settle among those who do not want to hear the gospel. Only those who look for the Kingdom of God are deserving of the apostles’ attention. The apostles’ work begins where the Gospel is accepted. They can rest wherever there are people who accept God.

These may sound like unheard of demands that could never be met today, and so indeed they are. But the problem is that if we are to carry the Kingdom of God in our hearts, we must feel sent by Christ to the world. It is true that Jesus demands poverty of the evangelizer, but it is even more true that there is no poverty for people who carry the Kingdom of God in their hearts and in their hands. It is true that it is consoling, sometimes even necessary, for the apostles to feel accepted, but again, what really matters is not the consolation of the apostles, but the acceptance of the Gospel. It is undeniable that the apostles need a place where they can feel loved if they are to be good apostles. Still however, the apostles find their family wherever there are children of God who have received salvation. There can be no better place for apostles than where God is accepted.

The demands of Jesus may seem extraordinary. However, they are the logical consequence of being called to serve God. Those who serve God abandon their own personal plans and give up whatever offers security. In return, God promises them his power. We disciples of Jesus miss out on the joy of working wonders because we have to present ourselves to the world as people sent by God. We don’t have the courage to represent him, nor do we boast of having received his power. If we are sent by Jesus, then we know that we share his mission and his power. It is not that God no longer works miracles, but rather that he does not find disciples who can represent him well in the world. The power to work miracles is not what matters. What really matters is that the apostles work because they are God’s subjects. The subjects of the Kingdom in the next world will be those who proclaim God in this world. Christ’s apostles, his representatives on earth, have their names already written in heaven.

Whether or not we will be with God in the next world depends on what we are in this world – not just good disciples but credible witnesses. Unless we are trying to be the best of apostles we cannot be sure of belonging to the family of Jesus, nor can we be sure of our future salvation. We are really risking a lot if we are slow about carrying out the mission Jesus entrusts to his followers.