Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 458
Lectionary: 458
The whole people
gathered as one in the open space before the Water Gate,
and they called upon Ezra the scribe
to bring forth the book of the law of Moses
which the LORD prescribed for Israel.
On the first day of the seventh month, therefore,
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak until midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
(for he was standing higher up than any of the people);
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
“Amen, amen!”
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
As the people remained in their places,
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
“Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep”–
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
And the Levites quieted all the people, saying,
“Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened.”
Then all the people went to eat and drink,
to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy,
for they understood the words that had been expounded to them.
and they called upon Ezra the scribe
to bring forth the book of the law of Moses
which the LORD prescribed for Israel.
On the first day of the seventh month, therefore,
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women,
and those children old enough to understand.
Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate,
he read out of the book from daybreak until midday,
in the presence of the men, the women,
and those children old enough to understand;
and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform
that had been made for the occasion.
He opened the scroll
so that all the people might see it
(for he was standing higher up than any of the people);
and, as he opened it, all the people rose.
Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God,
and all the people, their hands raised high, answered,
“Amen, amen!”
Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD,
their faces to the ground.
As the people remained in their places,
Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God,
interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.
Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe
and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all the people:
“Today is holy to the LORD your God.
Do not be sad, and do not weep”–
for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,
and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;
for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,
for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”
And the Levites quieted all the people, saying,
“Hush, for today is holy, and you must not be saddened.”
Then all the people went to eat and drink,
to distribute portions, and to celebrate with great joy,
for they understood the words that had been expounded to them.
Responsorial PsalmPS 19:8, 9, 10, 11
R. (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the
heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye;
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye;
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
GospelLK 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.”
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.”
Meditation: "The kingdom of God has come near
to you"
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 God’s 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 God’s 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 God’s 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 God’s 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.”
 Bumper Crop |
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Thursday of the
Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
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Father Edward
McIlmail, LC
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."
Introductory Prayer: Good Jesus, thank you for this opportunity
to speak with you again and to listen to you. I know that you have longed for
this moment we will spend together. You silently wait for hours in the
tabernacle, hoping that one of your friends will come to make a visit. You
always have something to say when we finally turn to you, so I willingly set
aside all distractions and give you my undivided attention.
Petition: Grant me, Lord, the grace to accept your
instructions with a great spirit of simplicity.
1. The Harvest: The Holy Spirit works constantly to stir up
souls and prompt them to turn their lives toward God. He nudges them when
they listen to Scripture or a homily. He speaks to them in the little events
of day-to-day life. But there is often one other ingredient he uses to reach
souls: He uses us. He uses our example, our words, our drawing close to others.
This is why Our Lord speaks of a crop waiting to be harvested. Harvesting is
all about toil and timing. Crops not brought in quickly rot in the field.
What harvest of souls might Our Lord be asking me to help with? It might be
an engaged couple who need to be helped in their faith. It might be a sick
relative who needs to prepare spiritually for death. It might be a troubled
teen who needs guidance to keep on the right path. All these could be souls
who need help now. Will I respond?
2. Full-time Laborers: Besides the work that all of us are called
to do by our baptism, there is also a need for people who dedicate their
entire lives to the mission of evangelization. Priests especially are needed,
to confect the Eucharist and to grant absolution within the sacrament of
reconciliation. The principle outlined in the first point of this meditation
applies here as well: The Holy Spirit inspires new vocations, and frequently
he depends on others to promote this work. Do I join in this crucial work for
the Church? Do I encourage vocations? Do I speak well of priests and
religious? Am I willing to let a son or daughter, a brother or sister, pursue
a vocation? Do I see that the vocation I encourage today might be the
vocation that helps save the soul of a child or grandchildren in the future?
3. Details Matter: Jesus´ precise instructions to his disciples
show that details matter to him. Our Lord doesn´t leave anything to chance.
He has a system for how to evangelize, and it is crucial that the disciples
follow his orders precisely. This reminds us that work of evangelization and
building the Kingdom is Jesus´, and as such he makes the rules. Free-lance
evangelization doesn´t substitute for what Christ wants. This principle
applies to all walks of life. Hence, there are rules that regulate conduct
within marriage and before marriage. There are guidelines as to what
lawmakers can and cannot support, and how businesspeople should and should
not treat their employees and customers. Might I think that I´m exempt from
Christ´s rules? Might I be living my faith on my terms, rather than on
Christ´s?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me avoid fooling myself that I´m
doing your will, when in fact I might be following my own whims. Let me
appreciate that there is a teamwork aspect to the Christian life that helps
me grow in patience and humility.
Resolution: I will pray or offer up a sacrifice for
vocations, or speak of vocations to at least one person, either by word or by
e-mail.
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, LUKE 10:1-12
(Nehemiah
8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12; Psalm 19)
KEY VERSE: "The harvest is
abundant but the laborers are few" (v 2).
READING: Jesus sent his twelve
apostles into a hostile world to proclaim the coming of God's reign. Then he
sent forth a larger group of disciples (The number 72 corresponds to all the
nations listed in Genesis 10). These laborers were sent to prepare the soil for
the abundant harvest that would come. They represented Christ in every home
they entered; therefore, they deserved the support of those who benefited from
their proclamation of the Gospel. Jesus warned the disciples that they would be
like helpless sheep exposed to prey; therefore, they must depend upon God's
providence and protection. As Jesus' messengers, they had an obligation to warn
the people to repent since God's reign was close at hand. Severe judgment was
in store for those who rejected this call.
REFLECTING: Do I give prayer and
financial support to those who proclaim the Gospel?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, strengthen
and protect your servants who labor for the gospel throughout the world.
The precepts of the Lord give joy
to the heart.
While we are familiar with the identities of the Twelve, those of the seventy-two others remain a mystery. Who were these anonymous followers of Jesus? What were they like and how did they react to being sent out in this way to proclaim the coming of the kingdom? The mission to go out with none of the basic comforts we are familiar with is more than a little disconcerting. Nevertheless, it is a reminder that the possessions we think we cannot do without can have a nasty habit of possessing us. Today’s gospel reminds us that proclaiming the kingdom is not dependent on the material supports of the world. Often the best proclaimers of the Gospel are the poor in our midst.
October 3
St. Theodora Guérin
(1798-1856)
St. Theodora Guérin
(1798-1856)
Trust in God’s Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her
homeland, sail halfway around the world and to found a new religious
congregation.
Born in
Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse’s life was shattered by her father’s murder when
she was 15. For several years she cared for her mother and younger sister. She
entered the Sisters of Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister St. Theodore.
An illness during novitiate left her with lifelong fragile health; that did not
keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher.
At the
invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, she and five sisters were sent in 1840
to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor.
She was to establish a motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that
her French superiors had already decided the sisters in the United States
should form a new religious congregation under her leadership.
She and
her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against
Catholic women religious, misunderstandings and separation from their original
religious congregation. She once told her sisters, “Have confidence in the
Providence that so far has never failed us. The way is not yet clear. Grope
along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.” Another time, she
asked, “With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?”
She is
buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods,
Indiana, and was beatified in 1998. Eight years later she
was canonized.
Comment:
God’s work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hard—always remembering what St. Paul told the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Every holy person has a strong sense of God’s Providence.
God’s work gets done by people ready to take risks and to work hard—always remembering what St. Paul told the Corinthians, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Every holy person has a strong sense of God’s Providence.
Quote:
During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Blessed Mother Theodore “continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodore Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God.”
During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Blessed Mother Theodore “continues to teach Christians to abandon themselves to the providence of our heavenly Father and to be totally committed to doing what pleases him. The life of Blessed Theodore Guérin is a testimony that everything is possible with God and for God.”
LECTIO: LUKE
10,1-12
Lectio:
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Father,
you show your almighty power
in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us to hurry towards the eternal life your promise
and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 10,1-12
In those days the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself would be visiting.
And he said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting. Start off now, but look, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Take no purse with you, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!" And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you."
But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, "We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near." I tell you, on the great Day it will be more bearable for Sodom than for that town.
3) Reflection
• Context: Chapter 10 of which this passage is the beginning, presents a characteristic of revelation. In 9, 51 it is said that Jesus “resolutely turned his face toward Jerusalem”. This journey, expression of his being Son, is characterized by a two-fold action: he is closely united “to the fact of being taken away of Jesus” (v. 51), his “coming” through the sending out of his disciples (v. 52): there is a bond of union in the double movement: “to be taken away from the world” to go toward the Father, and to be sent to men. In fact, it happens that sometimes the one sent is not accepted (9, 52 and, therefore, he has to learn how to be “delivered”, without allowing himself, because of this, to be modified by the rejection of men (9, 54-55). Three brief scenes make the reader understand the meaning of following Jesus who is going to Jerusalem to be taken out of the world. In the first one, a man is presented who desires to follow Jesus wherever he goes; Jesus invites him to abandon all he has, all that gives him well-being and security. Those who want to follow him have to share his destiny of a nomad life. In the second scene it is Jesus who takes the initiative and he calls a man whose father has just died. The man asks to delay in responding to the call in order to comply with the law, to his duty to bury the parents. The urgency of announcing the Kingdom exceeds this duty: the concern of burying the death is useless because Jesus goes beyond the doors of death and he fulfils this even for those who follow him. In the third scene, finally, a man is presented who offers himself spontaneously to follow Jesus but he places a condition: to bid farewell to his parents. To enter into the Kingdom does not admit any delays. After this three-fold renunciation the expression of Luke 9, 60, “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God”, introduces the theme of chapter 10.
• The dynamic of the account. The passage which is the object of our meditation begins with expressions somewhat dense. The first one, “After these things, it sends us back to the prayer of Jesus and to his firm decision to go to Jerusalem. The second one concerns the verb “appointed”: he appointed seventy-two others and sent them out...” (10, 1), where it is said concretely that he sent them ahead of him, it is the same resolute Jesus who is journeying to Jerusalem. The recommendations that he addresses to them before sending them are an invitation to be aware of the reality to which they are sent: abundant harvest in contrast with the few labourers. The Lord of the harvest arrives with all his force but the joy of that arrival is hindered by the reduced number of labourers. Therefore, the categorical invitation to prayer: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting” (v. 2). The initiative of sending out on mission is the competence of the Father but Jesus transmits the order: ”Start off now” and then he indicates the ways of following (vv. 4-11). He begins with the luggage: no purse, no haversack nor sandals. These are elements that show the fragility of the one who is sent and his dependence on the help that they receive from the Lord and from the people of the city. The positive prescriptions are synthesized first in arriving to a house (vv. 5-7) and then in the success in the city (VV. 8-11). In both cases, the refusal is not excluded. The house is the first place where the missionaries have the first exchanges, the first relationships, valuing the human gestures of eating and drinking and of resting as simple and ordinary mediations to communicate the Gospel. “Peace” is the gift that precedes their mission, that is to say, fullness of life and of relationships; the true and real joy is the sign that distinguishes the arrival of the Kingdom. It is not necessary to seek comfort; it is indispensable to be welcomed. The city becomes, instead, the most extensive field of the mission: there, life, political activity, the possibility of conversion, of acceptance or rejection are developed. To this last aspect is linked the gesture of shake off the dust (vv. 10-11), it is as if the disciples abandoning the city that has rejected them would say to the people that they possess nothing or could express the end of the relationships. Finally, Jesus recalls the guilt of that city which will close itself to the proclamation of the Gospel (v. 12).
4) Personal questions
• You are invited every day by the Lord to announce the Gospel to those close to you (in the house) and to all persons (in the city). Do you assume a poor, essential style in witnessing your identity as a Christian?
• Are you aware that the success of your witness does not depend on your individual capacity but only on the Lord who orders and of your availability?
In those days the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself would be visiting.
And he said to them, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting. Start off now, but look, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Take no purse with you, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!" And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you."
But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, "We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near." I tell you, on the great Day it will be more bearable for Sodom than for that town.
3) Reflection
• Context: Chapter 10 of which this passage is the beginning, presents a characteristic of revelation. In 9, 51 it is said that Jesus “resolutely turned his face toward Jerusalem”. This journey, expression of his being Son, is characterized by a two-fold action: he is closely united “to the fact of being taken away of Jesus” (v. 51), his “coming” through the sending out of his disciples (v. 52): there is a bond of union in the double movement: “to be taken away from the world” to go toward the Father, and to be sent to men. In fact, it happens that sometimes the one sent is not accepted (9, 52 and, therefore, he has to learn how to be “delivered”, without allowing himself, because of this, to be modified by the rejection of men (9, 54-55). Three brief scenes make the reader understand the meaning of following Jesus who is going to Jerusalem to be taken out of the world. In the first one, a man is presented who desires to follow Jesus wherever he goes; Jesus invites him to abandon all he has, all that gives him well-being and security. Those who want to follow him have to share his destiny of a nomad life. In the second scene it is Jesus who takes the initiative and he calls a man whose father has just died. The man asks to delay in responding to the call in order to comply with the law, to his duty to bury the parents. The urgency of announcing the Kingdom exceeds this duty: the concern of burying the death is useless because Jesus goes beyond the doors of death and he fulfils this even for those who follow him. In the third scene, finally, a man is presented who offers himself spontaneously to follow Jesus but he places a condition: to bid farewell to his parents. To enter into the Kingdom does not admit any delays. After this three-fold renunciation the expression of Luke 9, 60, “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God”, introduces the theme of chapter 10.
• The dynamic of the account. The passage which is the object of our meditation begins with expressions somewhat dense. The first one, “After these things, it sends us back to the prayer of Jesus and to his firm decision to go to Jerusalem. The second one concerns the verb “appointed”: he appointed seventy-two others and sent them out...” (10, 1), where it is said concretely that he sent them ahead of him, it is the same resolute Jesus who is journeying to Jerusalem. The recommendations that he addresses to them before sending them are an invitation to be aware of the reality to which they are sent: abundant harvest in contrast with the few labourers. The Lord of the harvest arrives with all his force but the joy of that arrival is hindered by the reduced number of labourers. Therefore, the categorical invitation to prayer: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to do his harvesting” (v. 2). The initiative of sending out on mission is the competence of the Father but Jesus transmits the order: ”Start off now” and then he indicates the ways of following (vv. 4-11). He begins with the luggage: no purse, no haversack nor sandals. These are elements that show the fragility of the one who is sent and his dependence on the help that they receive from the Lord and from the people of the city. The positive prescriptions are synthesized first in arriving to a house (vv. 5-7) and then in the success in the city (VV. 8-11). In both cases, the refusal is not excluded. The house is the first place where the missionaries have the first exchanges, the first relationships, valuing the human gestures of eating and drinking and of resting as simple and ordinary mediations to communicate the Gospel. “Peace” is the gift that precedes their mission, that is to say, fullness of life and of relationships; the true and real joy is the sign that distinguishes the arrival of the Kingdom. It is not necessary to seek comfort; it is indispensable to be welcomed. The city becomes, instead, the most extensive field of the mission: there, life, political activity, the possibility of conversion, of acceptance or rejection are developed. To this last aspect is linked the gesture of shake off the dust (vv. 10-11), it is as if the disciples abandoning the city that has rejected them would say to the people that they possess nothing or could express the end of the relationships. Finally, Jesus recalls the guilt of that city which will close itself to the proclamation of the Gospel (v. 12).
4) Personal questions
• You are invited every day by the Lord to announce the Gospel to those close to you (in the house) and to all persons (in the city). Do you assume a poor, essential style in witnessing your identity as a Christian?
• Are you aware that the success of your witness does not depend on your individual capacity but only on the Lord who orders and of your availability?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your face, Yahweh, I seek;
Do not turn away from me.
Do not thrust aside your servant in anger,
without you I am helpless.
Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour. (Ps 27,8-9)
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