Deacon Tom Anthony

Gospel Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
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."

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 As Jesus commissioned the 72 disciples to go forth to evangelize the faith, so too are we as Christian to spread the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is an intricate part of our faith. We cannot live the Christian Experience and not spread the Light of Christ throughout the world. How do we do this? The answer is simple: we do this by taking what we know to be true and applying it to all that we say and do. We must put the Love of Jesus Christ into action. The Kingdom of God is here and it is through us that it is revealed to the world.

There is so much anxiety in the world today. It is unavoidable as people rush about working hard to make a living. So much time and energy is spent planning for a future that might not ever come. The joy of living is lost as all expectation is placed on a distant vision that may never come into being. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” This reveals a complete dependence on God and is directly opposite of what society expects from us. We are so blinded by the allures of a materialistic world that we miss what is truly important to us and directly in front of us. It is our duty to reveal the better way that is filled with love, fellowship, and devotion to Jesus Christ.

The wolves are those who  reject the message of love and acceptance. The wolves are those who wait for us to fall. Know that we are judged differently and constantly looked at with skepticism. This we should acknowledge and go forward all the stronger with the confidence that Jesus Christ is always with us. Even when we suffer, Jesus Christ is there protecting us and guiding us through our times of crisis. There should be a confidence here knowing that whatever we face, whatever we are challenged with, will be overcome. How do we know this to be true? Our God is an awesome God and He would not let us be harmed if we just hold onto His presence and let it influence where we are going.

Our presence in society is two-fold. First, we are Christians and must have this be the defining characteristic of our lives. It is through this definition that we offer the world a better way to live and function. As Christians, we have received the Living Word of Our Lord Jesus Christ and now have the capability to transform lives while we ourselves are being transformed. Secondly, we are here to celebrate all of God’s Creation by being an active part of it. Enjoy this life. Celebrate this life. Experience this life. But always do it with God.

Psalm 66 tells us,

“Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, "How tremendous are your deeds!"

This is an invitation to Glorify God and to love Him. It is through this act that we encounter the Holy Spirit. It then becomes impossible not to experience the joy of a life with God. When we are in that moment, only we can take ourselves out of it by turning away from God. Yes, there will be times when we do this, but He will be there waiting for our return. He weeps for us and misses us when we do this like wayward children. Nothing is impossible with God, we just have to act out the commissioning that has been given to us and then get to work.

Deacon Tom