After
this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See,
I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no
bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first
say, ´Peace to this house!´ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your
peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in
the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer
deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter
a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick
who are there, and say to them, ´The kingdom of God has come near to
you.´" (Luke 10: 1-9)
Introductory
Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I turn to you in
prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I
need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense
generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.
Petition:
Lord, increase my faith so that in any trial I
will trust in you.
1.
Amazing Graces: Luke, whose feast we
celebrate in today’s liturgy, is the only gentile author in the New Testament.
It was part of God’s design that he be chosen by God to be the author of one of
the Gospels and the Book of Acts. “Who am I to receive such a grace?” Luke
might easily have said to himself, marveling at the gratuitousness with which
he received his role within the Church. An honest look at the great grace we
have received in being called to be part of God’s Church should bring us to say
the same thing: Who are we to receive such an incredible blessing?! Why did we
receive this grace and our next-door neighbor did not? Why have so many souls
in the history of the world never had the opportunity to know about Christ, but
we have? Only one answer comes close. God wants it, and it is part of his plan
of love for all mankind.
2.
More Hands on Deck: Here is a true
situation at a parish on the West Coast: After five draining hours in the
confessional, the priest climbs out to verify that no one else is in line. This
is the normal Sunday morning routine there. During those hours the priest was
witness to several powerful conversions, souls finding peace after years of
struggle, other saintly souls whose delicate consciences were cause for
admiration, and still others moving along with a “more-or-less” attitude in
their response to God, but who were helped by the grace of reconciliation. Many
more confessions could be heard, but there simply aren’t enough priests to meet
the need. The more confession is offered, the more the faithful take advantage
of the opportunity, and the more the Church grows in holiness. Do we pray that
God send more laborers to the harvest?
3. A
Lamb without Sandals: Christ’s
comparison almost seems cruel: “I am sending you out like lambs into the midst
of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals….” If he considers the apostles
to be like lambs, why on earth would he send them among wolves? As always,
Christ wants to stretch the faith of the apostles. “My Father’s providence will
take care of you and protect you” is the message he wants them to accept and
live. Later he tells them to take these items with them (cf. Luke 22:36), but
he also reminds them, “‘When I sent you out with no purse or bag or sandals,
did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘Nothing.’” He wants us to rely on him, not
on our own skills or talents. While we always need to apply all our God-given
human intelligence and prudence, we still need to rely on God to bless our work
and fill in for what is lacking.
Conversation
with Christ: Lord, so much of what
I’m faced with each day seems to be beyond my capabilities, yet I see clearly
that you want me to continue pushing forward, trusting in your providence. This
isn’t easy! Help be to have confidence in you.
The Mother of God (Theokotos) is considered authentic, an object of worship, because it is a revealed truth. Tradition identifies the first portretist of the Virgin and Child as the evangelist Saint Luke, even though he did not meet Mary until after Christ's death when she was already elderly
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