Gospel: Luke 10:17-24
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“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.
”At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Mary Griffin RIP.
Reflection:
After hearing the success of the disciples’ mission, Jesus praised His Father: “for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” The wise and learned that Our Lord was alluding to are the Jewish authorities. Overcome by their emphasis on rituals and laws, they failed to see and understand God’s mysteries. It is to the childlike instead that Jesus revealed Himself and His Father. The childlike are the nobodies – fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, outcasts, children. St Francis of Assisi once had a free and easy-going life. What caused his conversion? His testament, written a few days before his death, says: “When I was in sin the sight of lepers was too bitter for me. And the Lord himself led me among them, and I pitied and helped them.” If we want the Father to reveal to us the “mysterious designs of His will”, if we want to know who Jesus really is in our life, we need to be humble, open, and live in solidarity with the childlike.
- What inspires you to keep on living your faith?
- What prevents you from being childlike?
- How do you keep yourself humble?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Francis, transform our proud hearts to become childlike so that we may welcome, understand, and be healed by Your Gospel. Amen.
Sincerely,
Pietro
