FIRST READING
Job 19:21-27
Job said:
Pity me, pity me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! Why do you hound me as though you were divine, and insatiably prey upon me?
Oh, would that my words were written down! Would that they were inscribed in a record: That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever! But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him, And from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me. Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Your presence, O LORD, I seek. Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant. You are my helper: cast me not off.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
ALLELUIA
Mark 1:15
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Luke 10:1-12
Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”
REFLECTIONS:
What kind of harvest does the Lord want us to reap
today? When Jesus commissioned seventy of his disciples to go on mission,
he gave them a vision of a great harvest for the kingdom of God. Jesus
frequently used the image of a harvest to convey the coming of Gods reign
on earth. The harvest is the fruition of labor and growth beginning with
the sowing of seeds, then growth, and finally fruit for the harvest. In
like manner, the word of God is sown in the hearts of receptive men and
women who hear his word and who accept it with trust and obedience. The
harvest Jesus had in mind was not only the people of Israel, but all the
peoples (or nations) of the world. John the Evangelist tells us that
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
What does Jesus mean when he says his disciples must be "lambs in
the midst of wolves"? The prophet Isaiah foretold a time when wolves
and lambs will dwell in peace (Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25). This certainly refers
to the second coming of Christ when all will be united under the Lordship
of Jesus after he has put down his enemies and established the reign of
God over the heavens and the earth. In the meantime, the disciples must
expect opposition and persecution from those who who would oppose the gospel.
Jesus came as our sacrificial lamb to atone for the sin of the world. We,
in turn, must be willing to sacrifice our lives in humble service of our
Lord and Master.
What is the significance of Jesus appointing seventy disciples to the
ministry of the word? Seventy was a significant number in biblical times.
Moses chose seventy elders to help him in the task of leading the people
through the wilderness. The Jewish Sanhedrin, the governing council for
the nation of Israel, was composed of seventy members. In Jesus times
seventy was held to be the number of nations throughout the world. Jesus
commissioned the seventy to a two-fold task: to speak in his name and to
act with his power. Jesus gave them instructions for how they were to carry
out their ministry. They must go and serve as people without guile, full
of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention
to the proclamation of Gods kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser
things. They must travel light only take what was essential and
leave behind whatever would distract them in order to concentrate on
the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their work, not
for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others,
without expecting reward or payment. Poverty of spirit frees us from
greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for Gods
provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not
on themselves.
Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject Gods invitation
and refuse his word, then they bring condemnation on themselves. When God
gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to respond.
Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in how we respond
to his word. God gives us his word that we may have abundant life in him.
He wills to work through and in each of us for his glory. God shares his
word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others.
Do you witness the truth and joy of the gospel by word and example to those
around you?
Lord Jesus, may the joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that
I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth
and your light wherever I go.
No comments:
Post a Comment