Gospel: Luke 10:1-12
Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
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 Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Jane O’s intentions.
Reflection:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends the 72 other disciples on a mission. Down through the ages, men and women missionaries have followed the steps of these disciples to proclaim Jesus and His Gospel to those who do not know Him. In 1927, Pope Pius XI declared St Thérèse of the Child Jesus as Patroness of the missions along her co-patron St Francis Xavier. While St Francis travelled across Asia to convert souls for Christ, St Thérèse never left the cloister. Nevertheless, Pope Pius XI saw in her the example of prayer and the contemplative life as essential for those active in the mission field. She once said: “Our vocation is not go to reap in the fields of the mature crops; Jesus doesn’t tell us: ‘Lower your eyes, look at the fields and go and reap’. Our mission is more sublime still. Here are Jesus’ words: ‘Lift your eyes and see. See how in heaven there are empty places, he asks you to fill them. You are my praying Moses on the mountain; request workers of me, and I will send them. I only wait for a prayer, a sigh of your heart! The apostolate of prayer, is it not so to say, higher than that of preaching? Our mission, as Carmelite, is one of forming evangelical workers that will save millions of souls whose mothers we will be”.
- How can you support the missions?
- Who and where are you sent to be a missionary for Christ?
- “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth.” (St Thérèse) How do you spend your heaven in the here and now?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Thérèse, grant us the heart of a missionary. Send more workers to Your vast harvest. Amen.
Sincerely,
Pietro
