July 31, 2016

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 21-23; Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11; Luke 12: 13-21
Today’s readings ask me where are my priorities? It goes deeper in asking me a simple but deep question,
‘What am I rich in? Where do my riches lie?’ What is precious to me? How do I view life in the future? What
are my plans for the future? What am I afraid of? When I review these questions and reflect on them do I come
up with material possessions as being what is precious to me? Do I feel that my health and that of my loved
ones is the most important? If it is…what happens when illness or disease or accident happen that put a sudden
change to my hopes and dreams? Am I rich in possessions…am I rich in a steady job and the income it
provides? Am I rich in position in life and my importance? Msgr. Chet Michael said so frequently that the
three evils in society that constantly drag people into sin and away from God are power…possessions…
pleasure. He said that the three opposites that we must focus on that keep us more in contact with God and in
being gracious and thankful for His gifts are prayer (it is God’s power that helps me) almsgiving (being people
who give and not concentrating on receiving and hoarding) fasting (giving up…being without…sacrificing to
help with not being attached and thus being mindful of those who are hurting and don’t have).
Where do I spend my time? What do I find my mind being constantly absorbed in? What is an obsession in my
life? Today’s first reading is taken from one of the many ‘wisdom’ literary books in the Old Testament:
Proverbs, Job, Sirach, Wisdom, Song of Songs and the Psalms. People invest a tremendous amount of time and
energy in searching to find meaning, satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives. For the most part we all do
this…but often this does not satisfy us. The bottom line problem is that each of our lives has an end. We want
to pass on to our loved ones what was not available to us when we were growing up or we want to share the
fruits of our labors. The bottom line is that these are all Things…and things as the book of Ecclesiastes says
‘You can’t take it with you,’ and ‘There’s nothing new under the sun.’ The book was written in the first persona
and claimed to be advice gleaned from the experiences of life. It begins with the words, “Vanity of vanities, says
Qoheleth, all things are vanity“ (1:2) and the concluding words before the Epilogue are “Vanity of vanities, says
Qoheleth, all things are vanity.” (12:5). Th message is if we are obsessed with the world we are on the absolute
wrong track. ‘Vanity’ is the word associated with this obsession and it appears nearly forty times in the book.
The point is this: the things of this world ultimately will not satisfy. Why? We were created not for this world
but for God’s world: to be happy forever with God forever in heaven. Is that where we want to be? Jesus said
that we will definitely be in heaven if we love: love God, the people in our world we have direct contact with,
all others and love ourselves. This love isn’t selfish but is giving, caring and sharing.
Paul goes deeper in his instructions to the Colossians when he tells us that our ‘call from God in our Baptism’
means that our focus must be on Jesus: His life, His teachings, His love, His example and His supreme sacrifice
on the Cross for each of us. So if that is our focus, Jesus is reminding us that we are rich in what matters to
God. St. Anthony Messenger Press in Sunday Homily Helps sums it up in these words: “The prize worth striving
for is our life with God, our victory over sin and death, and our becoming holy with the help of the Spirit.” I have to remind
myself constantly that this is my daly focus.
Two wonderful quotes help me keep my focus on my daily living God’s life moment by moment. The first is
from Exploring the Sunday readings by Alice Camille commenting on “Take care to guard against all greed.” She
says, “The pile of evidence mounts. Qoheleth discovers worldly achievements don’t mean much. Paul says attachment to
earthly stuff won’t prepare us for the all-in-all of Christ. Now Jesus gets into the act, cautioning His audience not to pin their
hopes on a future inheritance or a nifty retirement plan. How invested are we in the tangible aspects of life?
I’d say every generation produces about three holy people who won’t brush a fly from their faces while they meditate on
sacred realities. The rest of us will, because the fly is a bother, and human life is full of bothers, and this one can be easily
dealt with. We can’t help but be aware when our backs hurt, our feelings are hurt, when the room is too hot or the stomach
too empty. But if we’re still willing to make dinner for the kids, to give the seat to the elder on the bus, to share with the
stranger, the world doesn’t own us quite yet. How much of your retirement plan is invested in the tangible, and how much in
the infinite?”
The second is from Living the Word, Scripture Reflections sand Commentaries for Sundays and Holy Days it
says: Where do you place your trust? God, money, things, a certain political party or philosophy of life, or Church, yourself,
someone or something else? Jesus’ parable makes clear that trusting in anyone or anything other than God will leave us
empty alone. That’s the ultimate vanity of vanities. We can’t buy love or happiness. Even the things we buy or in which we
invest our time, money and energy won’t ultimately make us happy without a relationship with the God in whom we live,
move and have our being. We can lose everything we value and our lives can change in an instant, whether confronted
with natural disasters, health crises, or the loss of loved ones, reputation, or money. At those times we have only our faith in
God. Faith is bolstered by people who come to our aid. But in the end, only our relationship with God accompanies us at all
times, even when we make the journey from death to eternal life.
St. Paul advised us to put to death whatever is not of God in our lives and attend to the values of Jesus that we put on in
baptism. Baptism does not promise a life without tears or suffering. It promises that because we belong to Christ, we are
not alone and can find hope in every situation, even pending death. One of my confreres, recently diagnosed with terminal
cancer, prays to be able to embrace death as Joseph Cardinal Bernardin did, (his book—The Gift of Peace) so that he
will be ready when Jesus comes to take him home. Trust in God and those who lead you to God, invest your time, money,
and energy there and you will be truly rich, whatever today brings.”
This article begins our reflections:
• “What have I lost that I thought would bring me happiness but did not? If I knew that my life would end today, what would
I change to be ready to meet God?
• What are my riches: My education? My vacation home? My job and position in life? My friends?
Knowing that I am loved by God? Being a person who loves?
• I reflect on when and where I feel that I am rich in God’s eyes?
• Is my gratitude to God my treasure?
Sacred Space 2016 shares:
Whenever Jesus meets the crowds, He meets many different needs. People present their sicknesses, tell Him of the
illnesses of others, seek out God’s ways, and, here, speak of their ordinary concerns. It is often so for me as I pray: needs
of different kinds come into my head, petitions surface, and arguments come to mind. As Jesus replied to the person in the
crowd, He speaks to me to help me see what is of lasting importance. Help me, Jesus, not to be distracted by the waves on
the surface but to be sensitive to the deeper current that draws me to You.
Jesus is asked to settle an inheritance case, He cautions His listeners against any kind of greed. He tells them that their
lives are not made secure by what they own They must grow into a true sense of values and recognize that their real life
cannot be measured in terms of material possessions. Jesus, how patient You are with us as we struggle with our earthly
desires. We want more and yet more. We look with envy on what other seem to have—better homes, better jobs, better
ways of living. Help us instead to be grateful for what we have, for Your goodness to us, and for who we are as children of
God.”

July 24, 2016

July 24, 2016
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Genesis 18: 20-32; Colossians 2: 12-14; Luke 11: 1-13
Prayer is talking with God. During the talking, I may be doing most of the talking, which is usual, but I
find the most productive time with God is when I am just being present to Him. This involves
listening…letting God’s love envelop me…praising God for the wonders and beauty that are catching
my attention at that time. I spent much time in my car and I find my prayer taking different directions:
the rosary…asking for help for those people I see while driving: the poor, the crippled, the maniac
drivers, the people having fun, those enjoying each other’s company…praying for the people I will be
seeing or those I left…those that that have asked me for prayers. Praying is a really a conversation…
talking with God.
I remember when I was in the seminary on Tuesday’s and Friday’s we had the opportunity to go on
‘Church walks’ (visiting neighborhood churches) also after evening meals we could go walking with a
friend around the grounds. What did we talk about…much the same that I find myself ‘talking’ with
God: difficulty with some courses, dreams for the future, problems at home, memories. I find that most
people who share their thoughts on prayer find that their ‘conversations with God’ are very similar with
my ‘walks’. In addition, most people have a collection of prayers cards, exercises, novenas, Divine
Mercy Chaplets, devotions that they have been ‘praying’ for years. I find that it is important that I find
time each day to just sit in front of my favorite crucifix or painting and just look…just be present to
God…just enjoying His company and whatever happens…let it happen. This is much of what is called
contemplation. I also pick out a Scripture passage and place myself in the scene or take time to do
Lectio Divina. The most important recommendation that I share with people is to ‘just do it.’ I ask
people what is their best time of the day…is it morning, evening or what. Take time during the best time
to be with the Lord…and try not to do all the talking or praying all those familiar prayers…try to just sit
and let the Lord be Lord to you. I try to do this and always seem to be drawn back to this time and time
again.
In the first reading from Genesis we hear how Abraham has been entrusted with an important task: to
impress upon his children and his household how crucial it is to live in a right relationship with God.
Abraham takes this opportunity to beg God to care for Lot and his family who live in Sodom. In his
begging he is worried that God will grow impatient or angry with him, but God’s patient and love is far
greater than Abraham had imagined. Luke emphasizes the practice of prayers far more than the other
Gospel writers. He doesn’t emphasize one stye of prayer but shows Jesus at prayer in a wide variety of
situations. Following the prayer Jesus taught, Our Father, Luke shares a somewhat humorous story
telling each of us that we must continue to be persistent. The person in the story got what they wanted
because they were a pest to their neighbor. Luke’s advice is that the one praying should not get
discouraged if prayers seem to go unanswered. God hears…God always loves…God always responds.
In all prayer it is important to know that it is God who has taken the initiative. God has created each
person in love and He knows each of us and hears each of us when we call upon Him. So our first reply
must always be thanks. Msgr. Chet Michael would say constantly: “Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude…and
more gratitude.” But prayer is not only a reply but very frequently petitions. We don't have to look
very far in our lives to see how fragile and weak each of us is…and how much help we need. And we
add the needs of those we love to this. For many people praying means asking and unfortunately they
are unaware of other ways to talk to God. In looking at ourselves we see how incapable we are in living
the life Jesus needs us to live, the people He needs us to be…we are sinners. We might feel that we can
never improve or never be forgiven…not true…we are constantly growing closer to the Lord because
the Lord is helping us…filling us with His grace. A prayer that should be constantly on our lips has
been called the Miserere prayer which is taken from Psalm 51, verses 1-5 and 10-11:
“Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness,
in Your great tenderness wipe away my faults;
wash me clean of my guilt, purify me from my sin.
For I am well aware of my faults, I have my sin constantly in mind,
having sinned against none other than You,
having done what You regard as wrong.
You are just when You pass sentence on me,
blameless when You give judgement.
You know I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception.
God, create a clean heart in me, put into me a new and constant spirit,
do not banish me from Your presence,
do not deprive me of Your Holy Spirit.”
Sunday Homily Helps sums up today’s readings beautifully:
“Because God doesn’t need us to tell Him what we need, prayer is not about informing God of our needs.
a) Prayer is more for us than for God. God knows our condition better than we know it ourselves, but He wants
us to express our faith and confidence in Him through persistent prayer.
b) Like Abraham, we are to approach God with a degree of confidence and trust—even when our confidence and
trust leaves much to be desired. God can use whatever little trust we have to bring us to greater faith and
confidence. God is better than our widest imagining. He will not be outdone in generosity and goodness.
TRANSITION TO LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
As we approach the altar in this Eucharist, we confidently express our faith in the goodness of God who laid down
His life so that we might have eternal life. There is no greater gift than the Eucharist. It is God’s generosity and
goodness at its very best. May we use this opportunity to increase our faith and confidence in God as we make
known our needs and petitions to Him.” So I reflected on:
• How do I describe my prayer life to a close friend?
• Do I always ask for what I want and need or do I ask Go to help me with His will for me? Or a little
of both?
• What do I tell people when they say their prayers haven’t been answered?
• What are the things that interfere with my sitting and being present to God at my best time each day?
Sacred Space 2016 shares:
“The disciples see how vitally important prayer is to Jesus. They want to be able to pray like Him. What we call the
Lord’s Prayer is the model for all prayer because it contains all that Christians need for authentic prayer. I shall
pray it slowly today, as if I were saying it for the first time.
This passage is also a call to perseverance in prayer. It is based on the conviction that the caring, gracious, and
generous Father of Jesus is always attentive to the needs of all who turn to Him in prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you
for teaching us how to pray, just as You pray. Help us always to persevere in prayer and never to lose hope.”

July 17, 2016

July 17, 2016
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Genesis 18: 1-10; Colossians 1: 24-28; Luke 10: 38-42
So often I have heard the expression, ‘Well I’m a Martha definitely not a Mary.’ I would say if I added
up the times I have heard this phrase I would say that seldom do I hear anyone say, ‘I’m a Mary’. A
huge number of people say that they are Martha’s. Do they secretly wish the they were Mary’s? I do
not feel that is the issue of today’sGospel.
In looking at the story, no one is forcing Martha to busy herself with being hospitable to Jesus. Nor is
anyone insisting that Mary sit with Jesus and listen to Him. If we look at our own lives, sometimes we
like to be involved with all the preparations and making things nice. At other times we may just want to
sit and listen and maybe be a little lazy and let others be involved in the doing. Both are needed…both
are good. Usually each person’s gifts will gravitate toward one or the other when we have guests.
Could it be that one of the messages of the story is that Jesus is always a guest in our home? How do I
treat Him? Do I go to Him? Do I listen to Him? Do I shun Him? Do I realize that home is not the four
walls that I live in but the home of my own self? Could some deeper questions be: am I satisfied living
in the home of me? Am I happy? Am I at conflict within myself? Am I searching and I don’t know
what the search is all about? Do I realize that God is always with me…within me? Am I going to Him
and being comfortable in His presence? He wants for me to be the me I can be…do I want the same?
How do I welcome Jesus?
How do I treat Him? Do I sit with Him or try to avoid Him? I believe the answers in the readings today
can help each of us in our close encounters with our loving God.
Abraham was ninety-nine when God appeared to him with the promise that he and Sarah would be
giving birth to a son and he laughed at this. Then God left him and today’s account is when three figures
came to visit them. Abraham invited them to stay and he waits on them hopefully expecting that they
would say something to him. They ask where Sarah is and Abraham is fidgety evidently because she
laughed at giving birth. What is the message…God keeps His word…God is worthy of trust. He said
He is always with us. So often we don’t believe that or we think, ‘Who am I’…each person is His
creation made of love to be love.
Paul sees the sufferings of each as a completion of Christ’s sufferings. He’s not saying that there was
anything missing in Jesus’ Passion, Agony and Death but that the entire Church receives the benefit
especially when its members suffer in spreading the gospel. There is suffering each of us endure in
being people of love, care, compassion and forgiveness. As one of my students once said,
‘Father, it sure ain’t easy acting like Jesus…but I’m not giving up.’ A good message for me and for all.
In the gospel, Jesus had presented Himself at Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ house. Custom said that one
would be met by the man of the house and if he wasn’t present by the woman of the household who
would offer refreshments. But this woman would never start a conversation or be alone with the person
in the same room. In light of this, Martha had to have been more than embarrassed with Mary’s actions.
Mary had broken the code of hospitality and assumed the role of the man of the house. It was totally
understandable that Martha was trying to get Mary away from Jesus, even though He was a close family
friend. So what excuse did she use…’I need help in the kitchen, tell Mary to come and help.’ Now look
at the response of Jesus to all this, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is
need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
What Jesus is telling each of us is that what is most important is the Lord’s presence in our lives. God is
always present…helping us…caring for us…filling us with His love…Are we aware of His presence?
Do we feel that we are ‘that important to God that He is with us every moment?’ It’s true. So many
people who come to me say that one of the hardest things to do is to just ‘sit with the Lord in quiet’.
Each of our lives are ‘busy lives’. We are constantly ‘doing’…because things have to done…or is it
better that ‘I just have to be busy.’ If we have that attitude then it is very hard to slow ourselves down
and ‘be with the Lord’ because we feel if I take the time to be with the Lord, I have to be doing
something.
Another point is that we feel we have to be
‘doing something for the Lord’ like social action. I feel that this is important but sometimes we could
easily use this as a ‘cop-out from just being with the Lord. Without spending time with the Lord our
actions can so easily become totally self-directed, self-propelled, rather than being led and inspired by
the Spirit of God. Fr. Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies says, “”Henry David Thoreau
lived for two years in a shack in the woods in Maine. What did he do during those years? He planted a vegetable
garden, read books, and observed nature. But sometimes he did nothing at all. He says, ‘Sometimes on a summer
morning I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in a reverie, amidst the pines, in undisturbed solitude
and stillness, while the birds sang around me.’ What fruits did he reap from this? He says: ‘I grew in those seasons
like corn in the night. They were not time subtracted from my life, but so much over and above my usual allowance.
It is not enough to be industrious, so are ants. What are you industrious about? Fear not that your life will end;
rather fear that it many never have begun.’ Some may dismiss Thoreau as an idle dreamer. But we need to spend
time in prayer and reflection, if only to sit quietly in the presence of God. This is not time wasted but time well
spent. Each day we should try, if only for a short while, to seek the face of God.
At a superficial glance it might seem that Mary’s part was the easier—all she had to do was sit there—and
Martha’s the harder. But on reflection we can see that at least sometimes Mary’s part is by far the harder of the
two. It’s not easy to set aside one’s own work and give one’s undivided attention to another person. To give that
kind of wholehearted attention to God is not easy. But it’s tremendously fruitful spiritually.”
So I reflect on:
• How do I say thanks to God for His deep hospitality?
• When I am of service to those around me do they look at what I’m doing or at me? What’s the
difference between meeting the needs of others and encountering people?
• Alice Camille asks, “Are you in service mode all day long, or do yo take time to give full attention to Jesus in
word, sacrament, adoration, or the face of the poor?”
Sacred Space 2016 says,
“It is easy to be distracted and fragmented when many things call for attention—even what is good can lose its
luster if we forget what busyness is about. Martha seems to be have been distracted by the many things she had to
do; she forgot whom she was doing them for.
I pray that I, like Mary, can be drawn to the presence of Jesus and, like Martha, can be honest with Him about
what distracts me.”

July 10, 2016

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Deuteronomy 30: 10-14; Colossians 1: 15-20; Luke 10: 25-37
The story of the good Samaritan, today’s gospel from Luke…I remember hearing this story when I was very young on a radio program called,’The Greatest Story Ever Told’. We would gather as a family on Sunday evening and listen to this program that told bible stories. I remember asking questions as to who Samaritans were and why didn’t the people stop and help the man who was hurt. The who questions were easy, the why were more complicated; but I just felt they should have helped the injured man.

This story has been updated many times in my life. I’ve seen beggars in the different countries where
I’ve travelled. The Holy Land was loaded with them especially with those mangled with contorted
bodies. It seems that many times they were assembled at church doors, waiting, and using a
tremendous of energy to try and get people to help them out. Some helped…some just walked by…
why? I see this scene played out so often in our area by the homeless, especially veterans, holding a
sign and waiting at the intersections by the stoplight. Some people roll down their windows and give
and some do not…why?
I’ve seen this scene played out in large cities in the downtown areas where people assemble; some of
these beggars are playing instruments or holding signs or trying to sell some small items or just begging.
They all seem to be quite forward in there pleading for handouts. Some people give, some just walk
by…why?
Why do the people ‘just walk by’…I don’t know their reasons; I just have to look at what goes through
my head when I walk by. I wonder why they are in this need? What has happened in their life that the
security they perhaps had vanished quickly…maybe because of physical ailments…a loss of a job…or
something else. Sometimes I wonder if they are lazy…if they are ‘playing the system’ … if they really
are in need. I have learned during my various pilgrimages that one has to be very careful with carrying
wallets and pocketbooks because of the wide assortment of thieves who are constantly on the lookout.
This has made me suspicious when I see these people in need on the streets…’don’t ever open your
wallet in front of them’ one tour guide told me. I have thought that giving to many of the charities that I
do is sufficient. And I walk by.
The question isn’t really why…but what goes through me when I do. There always is some tinge of
guilt coupled with some sort of rationalization. Then I remember my mom who would respond to every
appeal that came thought he mail. She asked me a few times why there are so many that come. I
responded that in giving, come of these organizations ‘sell’ their donation lists. Also that if they are
legitimate, and they really have to be with government regulations, how much of the contribution goes
to administration and how much goes to the people in need. So I come back to the question that probed
me when I was young…why didn’t people stop and help.
I go back to the story that Jesus told.
The Jewish priest and levite lawyer passed by the beaten injured Samaritan…why? Maybe the wanted
to avoid contact out of concern for ritual purity. The Jewish religious law often referred to ‘clean’ and
‘unclean’. There was food that was unclean in terms of being forbidden. It also referred to animal
species that are permitted or forbidden from eating; the word kosher and non-kosher. Most of the
purity laws pertain to the necessity to be in a state of ritual purity when entering and performing certain
acts within the Temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritan had no restrictions. He responded out of
compassion. He not only responds at that moment but he also continued in caring and stopped back for
his continued care. How should I act?
The person who presented this question to Jesus was a scholar of the law of Moses attempting to test
Jesus with his knowledge and interpretation of the law. Jesus told the story. It was a vicious mugging
considering the victims was stripped of his clothing; as a result, he had no means of identifying who he
was. He was totally helpless and half-dead. I would have thought that the two Jewish ‘officials’ would
help, they didn’t. So who was the person who helps…a Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans had hated each
other for centuries. A Samaritan could not be neighborly to a Jew, a good Jew would not stand for it.
Sunday Homily Helps has an interesting response: “Who is this half-dead victim? A careful reading or hearing
of this story indicates that the reader or hearer is actually the mugged half-dead victim. And he has no choice
regarding how God might choose to help him. He or she might think that thy are in charge of God’s saving grace,
but, in fact they’re not. God can come to us in our most despised enemies, and there is nothing that we can do
about it. God’s values and preferences might not be the same as ours. God chose a Samaritan and not a Jew to
be the neighbor of a Jew In the end, the scholar of the law would not even say the word ‘Samaritan’ But he and
everyone else knew that the Samaritan was the real neighbor.”
It concludes the analysis of the story in this way: As with so many of Jesus’ parables, this story was intended
to bring His hearers (original audience) or its readers (today’s audience) to a decision. a) If we consider the
context of the parables, we see that they re almost always told in reaction to questions, controversies, or even
accusations. They demand a response. b) When Jesus asks the lawyer to identify the true neighbor to the
wounded man, he is inviting all His listeners to do the same. c) This parable raises for its audience two questions:
1) what do we think?; and more importantly, 2) What will we do? d) As many biblical scholars have pointed out, we
do not so much interpret the parables as they interpret us. Confronted by the reality of God at work in the world,
how will we react?’
There is so much for me to reflect on:
• What keeps me from seeing someone who has hurt me or done evil as a person that God loves in a
special way?
• How do I attempt to live the commandment to “love God with all my heart?”
• What would the people I minister to say is the most important thing to do as a Catholic? Come to
Mass? Love one another? How do I answer that?
• Samaritans: anyone whom people despise without knowing; for example felons, gang members, drug
dealers, people of a different race, culture, religion, terrorists?
• Is it difficult for me to become physically involved in ministering to the outcasts of today’s society?
Why? How do I overcome the feeling?
Sacred Space 2016 says:
“Modern urban life trains us to walk on by, to be like the priest or Levite in the parable. I ask God to help me
preserve the compassion to which Jesus calls us.
To be a neighbor is to be one who shows mercy. I consider my attitude to those among whom I live and imagine
how I might be merciful to them as God is to me.”

July 3, 2016

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Isaiah 66: 10-14; Galatians 6: 14-18; Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
How important am I in God’s kingdom? Does it matter how active I am in teaching and preaching
about Jesus? Does God intend me to be very active…kinda active…or once in a while active in
sharing my faith and my story of my life in Jesus? I really wonder how important I am in the whole
spectrum of the people God has created and chosen to be His own? I have so many other
obligations…at work…in family…community…school how much does God expect me to spend on
my faith sharing? Today’s gospel from St. Luke has a very unique way to address these questions
along with the Reflection questions.
The first interesting point is that Luke’s gospel is the only gospel that includes todays story of the
sending of the seventy-two disciples to prepare for Jesus’ arrival. In some of the manuscripts it says
the number being sent was seventy disciples…others say seventy-two. Why the discrepancy?
Scholars bring us back to Genesis 10: 2-31, where Moses lists the Table of the nations, “These are the
descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, to whom sons were born after the flood.” So these
were the only survivors of the flood and therefore the ancestors of the human race. Therefore the
number seventy or seventy-two represent all the nations of the world. The Hebrew Bible lists seventy
whereas the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint has seventy-two. The number is
not as important as the sending of them out two by two. Earlier in the ninth chapter, Luke recounts
the sending out of the twelve apostles on mission two by two…this is also contained in Matthew and
Mark’s gospel. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary states that, “Three reasons for pairing are
involved: mutual support; bearing of witness to the truth of their testimony (see Deuteronomy 19:15); living
embodiment of the gospel of peace (Luke 10: 5-6).
So what is Luke implying in the number Jesus sends out? In choosing the seventy-two or seven,
Jesus is sending his disciples, which is each of us, not only to Israel but to the whole world. Fr.
Bausch in his homily this day recounts a humorous story, “So, as we heard, He sends them out two by
two, just like the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, who knock at our doors. Speaking of which, one humorist
says one day he was late leaving home for work when there was a knock at his front door. It was wet and cold
outside. He opened the door and there were two Jehovah Witnesses damp and shivering in the cold. They
asked if they could come inside.r Well, he just couldn’t just leave them standing there, so he said okay. He
brought them into his living room and offered them a chair. They were quiet for a long time, so he asked, ‘What
happens now?’ The older one said, ‘We don’t know. We never got this far before.” The bottom line as to the
meaning of the sending out of the disciples is that the mission of Jesus is not only carried by the
‘experts’…like priests, deacons, religious, but it is the responsibility of every believer. Do I believe
in what Jesus taught and lived that it is important enough that I share this? Why am I reluctant? Is it
because of laziness or fear or the feeling that I’m not qualified? Yet Jesus said often that where two
or three are gathered in His name He is present. Over and over in Luke’s gospel we see that the
mission of Jesus is accomplished by ordinary people like each one of us, doing ordinary things.
They are being faithful to their responsibilities realizing that they have been gifted and they are to
give.
A huge part of the role of each believer is HOW they are to do their ‘mission work’?
Living the Word, Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for Sundays and Holy Days states our role
so beautifully, “Pope Francis reminds us that as Church we are to proclaim the good news of Jesus, ‘so that
faith in Him might spread to every corner of the earth’ (Evangelii Gaudium, 19). We are missionaries whose
lives proclaim the joy of the gospel. We are dependent upon God for everything: faith, talents, the ability to
develop our talents, and life. We are mutually dependent upon one another. No one is an island, even in our
highly individualistic society When sick, I need someone to help me When in need, people turn to others for
assistance. God’s comfort is known by how we accept our mission to live the gospel and share the gifts God
has given us.
We can invite others to God’s kingdom but we are not in control of how people respond. As St. Francis de
Sales taught, do all through love, nothing through fear or force take time to deepen your union with God in
prayer. Give thanks for God’s gift of life and the gifts you’ve been given. Ask for help where you are in need.
Turn to the Body of Christ to fill in the gifts you lack. Now go and proclaim the gospel one person, one day, one
moment at a time.”
The bottom line at every moment of my life is that I am totally dependent upon God and the people
God has placed in my life to help me with Jesus’ command to love. The seventy-two were totally
dependent upon God. They were told that they might be rejected or mocked out. In these cases the
message of Jesus would be rejected. What are they to do…continue on. We are not in control of
what will happen when people reject our message; for them it is ’not the right time.’ God does not
reject anyone…He actively is sending people to touch others to see that they are loved and He cares
for them and invites them to love. That is God’s mission; our mission is to live God’s life and be
examples of Jesus teaching and love. I am not the answer to each person I meet…I am only one of
God’s infinite messengers. Am I living this message?
So I reflect on:
• Am I making a difference with my life?
• Am I grateful for being loved by God and being the recipient of all His gifts?
• Am I concerned with ‘What’s in it for me and mine?’
• When someone remarks that ‘you’re so good…so successful,’ what do they mean? Money, big
house, exotic vacations, important job, promotions, real nice neighborhood, three cars?
• Would I be defined as successful in terms of ‘the things I have’ or in terms that my life matters,
especially in the good that I do and the time I give, in the care, concern and compassion that I
show to others?
• Have you a sense of mission, of being chosen and sent?”
And Sacred Space 2016 sends each of us forth with these words: “Our joy is in our identity with Jesus, not in what we do. Our names are written in heaven because we are His beloved sons and daughters. Our names are never erased or crossed out Can I believe that my name delights God? Maybe in prayer repeat your own name for a while and sense the tone of God as God would say your name—with warmth and love. Jesus is preparing His disciples for mission. He leaves them in no doubt about the challenges, obstacles,and dangers that await them. They will succeed, however, because the power of God is working with them. Do I experience that joy when I do what the Lord wants me? The message entrusted to the disciples by Jesus is peace and the nearness of the kingdom of God. This same message of peace and justice, forgiveness and
healing, and the Good News of God’s kingdom, has been entrusted to the church through the centuries. Now it is my turn to witness to it.”