Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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
Go on your way!
1. He sent them in pairs. If there is something essential in Christianity, it is community life: you should not isolate yourself, because doing things alone may lead you to fall into self-centeredness, when you want all the spotlight to be on you. This is not good for a Christian, that is why Jesus teaches you that in life you should share your path, let yourself be helped and help, announce that in this life cutting yourself off from others ends up cutting off the beauty of living.
2. Prayer. It is important to pray, to talk to Jesus, because He has chosen us to be his disciples. But, at the same time, discipleship is also the fruit of the prayer of a community, who has asked God to send out laborers for his harvest. We are not a company or human resources managers. That is why today I invite you to ask God to send more Christians to proclaim the Gospel, more people to show how beautiful it is to have God in our lives. We need to clearly show a living God to a world that is confusing, where the truth is overshadowed by opinions. Jesus wants to shine in you and me, but we need him to shine in many hearts as well.
3. Go on your way. Jesus sends us like lambs among wolves There are many cunning wolves around. In your life there are people who are waiting for you to make a wrong move in order to destroy you. Be cautious because many also enjoy it when you do badly. But the key is that you have Jesus’ strength in your heart that keeps you going. You are not defeated as long as you do not feel defeated. For a Christian, death is not the last word. Even if they kill you on social networks or even if they have slandered you, you can continue to show life. Have confidence in God and in yourself because, as an evangelizer, you have a lot to give. Always remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
