Proclaim the Kingdom
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke, the only non-Jewish writer of the New Testament. Luke was a writer, physician and doctor, and artist who ran into St. Paul and decided to join the intrepid Apostle on his missionary journeys. In today’s first reading, we got a glimpse of St. Paul during his imprisonment and trial in Rome, when so many of his companions abandoned him. We can infer a twinge of sadness when he wrote, Luke is the only one with me. Luke didn’t meet Jesus while he was still walking and moving along the paths of Galilee. Instead, he gathered the material for his Gospel by interviewing those who had known Jesus, and he put together his narrative with a special emphasis on the aspects and perspective that would help non-Jewish readers understand and appreciate the good news of Christ. He presents Jesus as a friend of sinners, those who do not have a deep and sustaining relationship with God, teaching us that when we repent and come back to Jesus, He will surely welcome us. Thus, his gospel has been referred to as The Gospel of Mercy, The Gospel of Universal Salvation, The Gospel of the Poor, The Gospel of Absolute Renunciation, The Gospel of Prayer and the Holy Spirit, and The Gospel of Joy.
He added a second part (in a sense) to his Gospel, The Acts of the Apostles, which shows how the early Church embodied the Gospel and continued Christ’s Incarnation through their own witness, miracles, and sufferings. St. Luke symbolically joins the ranks of the seventy-two disciples whom he talks about in today's gospel and whom Jesus sent out to spread the Gospel because through his writings he too responded to the Lord’s call to go and make disciples of all nations. And there is little doubt that his ministry will continue to have a transforming effect on the lives of many until the end of the world. Tradition states that Saint Luke became a martyr, being hanged on an olive tree. He is the patron of artists/painters, brewers, butchers, notaries and physicians/surgeons. Each one of us is called somehow to join those ranks. How am I responding to that call in my life?
The Gospel shows us the mission of the 72 and how they are going to carry it out. Why seventy-two? 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 and so Jesus sending the seventy-two means to go to every nation as a universal mission. Jesus commissioned the seventy to a two-fold task - to speak in his name and to act with his power.
Jesus gave his disciples instructions for how they were to carry out their ministry. They must go and serve as people without guile, full of charity (selfless giving in love) 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 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 Jesus wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.
They are sent among Wolves. Christ was honest with his disciples; their mission was not going to be easy. Christ had been teaching them how difficult was the path he followed— “Take up your cross and follow me,” “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,” and “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God”—but up to now the disciples had not really experienced difficulty in the mission. Instead, they had been awed by the string of miracles Christ performed in their presence. As they got ready to go out, he reminded them that, while there would be success, many times they would feel like helpless lambs in the midst of wolves. So, it can be with us—the culture he calls us to change will not convert without a fight. We experience the struggle, but armed with the power of God, we engage with people, full of hope that our effort to spread Christ’s love will conquer all. Saint Luke experienced the same until he was martyred. May he pray for us to get that same courage.
They are to take nothing for the journey. No one goes on a journey without money and some spare clothes, yet Christ asked his disciples to leave these things behind and go “like lambs among wolves.” How often do we think we know what we need to evangelize? How often do we try to do God’s work as we would do an ordinary job? Christ is reminding his apostles and us that the work of bringing souls back to him is not like any other mission. The tools of evangelization are faith, hope, and love, not money and clothes. Sometimes Christ will ask us to use those material things, but sometimes he will not. When he sends us to help bring others to him without the instruments, programs, and materials we think we need, how do we respond? Run away? or put all our dependence on God trusting and believing of his care and providence?
Let us pray.
Jesus, sometimes it seems like I have little to offer. It seems that my time is so limited. I’m not sure what my talents are or how they can be used to serve you. It seems as if so, many are better prepared or more capable. I’m not sure I’m really needed. However, as I reflect on today’s Gospel, I can’t help but feel a renewed hope and a sense of responsibility to share your message with others. I ask for courage, inspiration, and zeal to face the challenges of today’s world and work to build up your Kingdom. Amen
Be blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment