Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 102
Reading 1
Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her;
exult, exult with her,
all you who were mourning over her!
Oh, that you may suck fully
of the milk of her comfort,
that you may nurse with delight
at her abundant breasts!
For thus says the LORD:
Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,
and fondled in her lap;
as a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice
and your bodies flourish like the grass;
the LORD's power shall be known to his servants.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy.
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!"
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
"Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!"
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision,
but only a new creation.
Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule
and to the Israel of God.
From now on, let no one make troubles for me;
for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
or
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.'"
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
Many times, in our lives we may find ourselves in times of crisis, indecision, or pain. It is very difficult to be consoled in times such as these. We tend not to listen to those who try to comfort us or tell us that things will only get better. Under these circumstances, our pride becomes our enemy, insisting that we continue to wallow in our own self-misery. Barriers are put up, walls are erected, and then we can find ourselves alone. God is telling us through the prophet Isaiah that there is a better way. He reminds us that we are never alone and that He is with us, especially amidst our most difficult periods. There is always light that dispels the darkness and there is always calmness after the storm. Weathering the storm is a process that actually makes us stronger and better people because of the hardship endured.
Earlier in the prophecy, God indicated that He has a preference. It was for those who were just as we might have been or are currently:
“This is the one whom I approve:
the afflicted one, crushed in spirit,
who trembles at my word.”
Though we may be broken and disheartened, it is through our relationship with God and us crying out to Him that we will be healed and made whole again. This is why we need to allow God to comfort us in our time of need and be nurtured by His Living Word. The solutions to our problems can be found through thoughtful prayer and being attentive to what has been given to us in Sacred Scripture. These things give us the answers and what we need in the moment and in the future. God wants us to be dependent on Him and open to His suggestion.
The Apostle Paul tells us that, being new creations through our acceptance of Jesus Christ, means that everything else gifted through human hands or human thoughts becomes secondary. What others say and do, either negatively or positively, should be secondary in comparison to what we can achieve with Jesus Christ. With trust in Him, the relationship becomes two-fold: Jesus Christ gives us what we need for a joyous life and provides us the fortitude to overcome people and things that might oppose us. There is no possibility in this area, but a definite fact: we will be opposed and challenged as Christians.
How should we prepare for these challenges in a Christian Life? The answer can be found in the Gospel Reading today: we only need to trust in Jesus. In the Commissioning of the Seventy-Two, Jesus explicitly told His disciples not to prepare for anything beforehand and not to take anything extra. God would provide for everything that was needed. The results were beyond their belief. They healed the sick, cast out demons, and evangelized the faith. It was their faith in God and faith in Jesus’ instruction which led to the miracles they performed and the reception of the people they interacted with. The results in our lives can be the same.
This commissioning reminds me of an experience that a Jesuit Seminarian friend of mine had. Part of their formation process was to choose between two places on a map of the continental United States. They were then given a bus ticket to that place. When they arrived, they would have 30 days to get back to the seminary. They were left without food, water, money, or extra clothes. It would be by their own means, guided by God, that they would return within the time-limit. In a way it was like a race against the clock, but it was more the journey and the experiences they had, which was the point of the whole thing. Having total reliance on their faith and the charity of strangers, the interactions they had would have both a spiritual element and one of necessity. Could they have the same experiences that Jesus’ disciples had? Would each conversation with a stranger bring about the Fruits of the Holy Spirit?
My friend told me about an interaction he had at the end of that trip. He was about a mile away from the seminary and he had two hours left to make it back on time. He needed nothing for that last mile. The journey was about done. He then saw a homeless man sitting alone. He contemplated for a moment and walked up to the man saying,
“I am at the end of a long journey. I have nothing to offer you but my time and conversation.”
He ended up being late, but it was worth it. That was one of the points of the exercise. It is not goal, but the journey that matters.
Our troubles will always be with us, but God can be always with us also. How we conduct ourselves through the troubles and how we rely on our faith is what truly matters. With God, we will always be victorious, regardless of what calamities befall us.
Deacon Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment