Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10, 1- 9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two 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 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.'”
He sent ahead of him in pairs
1. He appointed them. When you are called, God also provides the tools to accomplish what He calls you to do. Life itself will make demands on you and put you in difficult circumstances, but it is also there that you learn to discover the tools and the people who will accompany you. God will never give you something you can’t handle, and He will give it to you at the right time, when He knows you’ll be able to bear that situation.
2. Laborers. I try not to complain, you know? I’m in one of the largest parishes in my diocese here in Tucumán: 151 square kilometers of jurisdiction, 23 chapels, approximately 150,000 residents, with a mix of rural, city, and high-mountain areas. It’s a parish meant for four priests, and we are only two. However, I’ve realized that the key is to teach the power of faith and the importance of being Christians. Faith isn’t just up to the priest or the nun, because neither the priest nor the nun was hung on the cross for love. If twelve crazy people, if twelve apostles, managed to let this world know that Jesus exists, how can you and I not manage to show this world that there is another way to live?
3. Peace. We are sent to bring peace, not to judge; we are sent to love, not to question; we are sent to strengthen, not to highlight the weaknesses of others. We are simply people who have encountered Jesus so that we can help Jesus continue to encounter the people around us.
Something good is on the way!God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
