Deacon Tom Anthony

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 102

Reading 1 Is 66:10-14c

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 Ps 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 Gal 6:14-18

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 Col 3:15a, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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

 We have been promised that we will be comforted and protected by God through a relationship with Him grounded in trust and surrender. Regardless of what situation or circumstances we find ourselves in we are told to rejoice knowing that our destiny resides in being Children of God. As God’s children He will let no true harm come to us. Whatever we face will be endured and ultimately overcome with the help of He who created us. To many of us this may be difficult to accept especially when some sort of crisis has risen in our lives. We have a propensity to focus on situations with a need to come to some sort of resolution that is in our best interest. The more that we cannot control a given situation the more frustrated and anxious we become until what is directly in front of us is resolved. God wants us to act in a different way. He wants us to focus on our relationship with Him instead and rely on Him instead of ourselves. It is through our relationship with Him that we can discover that there are things beyond our control and power. There are forces at work within the universe that we cannot overcome and that is where we need the support and intercession of God. In times such as these He is present and willing to contribute to our experience and well-being. God is with us always whether we want Him to be or not.

It has been said that it is easier to praise God and witness the work He has done in our lives when things are going well or when we have triumphed over a seemingly hopeless situation. In the first reading today God reminds us to look beyond that point. There will always be times of celebration and times of crisis but through God the result will always be the same: a cause for rejoicing because of God. At times the suffering might be great and long while at others times it might be short but we are always encouraged look at the greater Love of God which will always triumph in the end. Because we are created out of love by God we will be participators in that triumph regardless of what we face.

We have various obligations and duties prescribed to us as Christians and they are hallmarks of the Christian Life. These are followed out of obligation as set forth in Sacred Scripture and through the teachings of the Church. Others can and will be revealed through thoughtful prayer. All of these can be seen as vehicles that will lead us to a deeper spiritual experience and relationship with Jesus Christ. The corporal works that we do enhance our spirituality while our spirituality leads us to do these corporal works. It begins and ends with spirituality. This spirituality will bring us to a point of rejoicing in God in good times and bad times while our duties and obligations will bring us closer to Him. What is being offered to us is a blueprint for living. Following it becomes easier as we are orientated towards it through our thoughts and actions.

As logical creatures we have the capability to define events; interpreting them in a way that becomes comfortable with us so that may have some sort of control in our own response to them. As Christians we are encouraged to keep Jesus Christ as the defining characteristic in all of our actions and experiences. Witnessing and participating in life under these terms will bring forth new revelations and a way of seeing things that were hidden from us before because of our own interpretation of things that took precedent over that of that of Jesus’. Keeping Jesus as the defining characteristic of our lives keeps us seeing things through Him thus making Him a part of all of our experiences. Without Jesus we are limiting ourselves to a prejudicial point of view of what is happening all around us. Without Jesus we will always be limited as to what we see and what we can do. With Him, nothing is impossible.

In the Gospel Reading today Jesus sent out 72 of His disciples in pairs ahead of Him to prepare the way for Him. He gave them specific instructions on what to do and how to conduct themselves in particular situations. Following these instructions and conducting themselves through the instructions of Jesus revealed to these disciples certain truths and caused them to rejoice. They were witnesses to the work of Jesus in their lives of others as well as themselves. Listening to what Jesus said and putting what He wanted them to do above what they wanted to do led them to a better place. Previously some of the disciples wrestled with their humanness when reacting to events around them such as when James and John wanted to bring down fire from heaven on a Samaritan Town who rejected Jesus. Jesus revealed to them that when His will is put before their own good things will happen instead of negative thoughts and reactions. It is the same with how we act and react.

Only good things flow from Jesus Christ. Christ is within us. When we get out of our own way we are capable of great things and great rejoicing.

Deacon Tom