Luke 9:51-62 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time June 26, 2022 Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them? Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
June 25, 2022
Luke 10:25-37 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 10, 2022 Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robber’s victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
July 9, 2022
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 66:10-14
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
A. Text/Context
• Jesus said that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few
• In the gospel, Jesus sent seventy two of his disciples and they are sent by pairs two by two
• Why? Because it is not good that you are in the missions and you are alone. Jesus knows very well the importance of a company
• Jesus said: I am sending you like lambs among the wolves. The lamb will mingle with the wolves. A missionary is a peacemaker
• And so if you do a certain mission you will play the role of a peacemaker. You do not display your prowess, your authority and subdue anyone who will hinder your plans
• If we are like that, then we are not missionaries, we are conquerors. Our presence should not diminish but rather uphold the identity of the people
• And most of all the most important character or trait that missionaries should have is that they totally rely on the providential God – carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals, etc. None of any of the many kinds of security that we can think of
• Missionaries should only rely on the goodness of the people whom they serve
• And another rule is to greet no one along the way. No disturbance, no delay indicating the urgency in the mission
• God will only be their security. A total trust and confidence in God as the provider
B. Human Situation
• We are given the example from the gospel the utmost importance as to how we should conduct ourselves especially when we do some kind of a mission in our life
• If we do big projects for example or if we make very important or crucial decisions in the process of doing our own mission
• This is the kind of trust and confidence in God as exemplified by the 72 missionaries mentioned in the gospel as they were sent to proclaim the kingdom of God
• We talk about mission which means the ordinary tasks that we have; be it in the home or in the workplace
• If you are a parent, a mother or a father and you have provided the best environment for your children to live in a happy home then your mission is fulfilled as a parent
• There will be problems in rearing up your children but God knows you have done your best
• And outside the home you are in a workplace you are expected to do the duties required by your position faithfully
• The small things that we do with the right intentions and motivations wherever we are is the mission that the gospel is talking about
• You prosper in the home with your family if you have provided for the needs of your children and they will feel the love that radiates from you because the children see you how much you love them
• You prosper in the workplace because your boss and your co-workers see your untiring dedication for the company
• People prosper because they love their work. Where your heart is, there, your treasure lies according to St. Paul
• In Isaiah in the 1st reading the Lord said I will spread prosperity over her like a river
• Prosperity comes as a consequence of our love and devotion to our duties
• What will happen if you do not perform your tasks well? Your co-workers may not be happy because it has repercussions on them
• For every unpleasant thing that we do we inflict a certain degree of suffering on others
• Perhaps nobody will see you doing nasty things, but you make the lives of others difficult and with that, grace can be very elusive
• If you are so mean, and so unkind, what will you reap? Dissatisfaction or even curses and relationship with others will go sour and unpleasant
• So the very mission that we do is so ordinary, it deals with our daily life situations
• And in so doing things can get very awful sometimes but do not get discouraged with that
• You do good things others are jealous, you make initiatives others are displeased, and the list goes on but do not get discouraged. There is no paradise in a workplace
• You see even the disciples of Jesus are also discouraged. The 72 disciples mentioned in the gospel has become 12 and the 12 became 11 and back to 12 again
• That is why we pray for the harmony of home. We give inputs for interpersonal relationships so needed in the workplace
• In other words we have to do our part in order to prosper in the little missions we have
• Before Mary became the mother of God, she has to say yes to God’s proposal
• Before Jesus raised Lazarus from death, the people has to roll away the stone that covers the cave first
• Before the paralytic was healed, his companions have to show their faith
• Before the daughter of Jairus was healed, Jairus has to beg the Lord to intercede even from a distance
• God cannot perform miracles if we do not want it. God cannot make wonders to our mission if we do not work for it
C. Challenge
• So today we reminded once more that the little missions that we have are always here to stay
• The initial steps in the mission may be done by a single or a few individuals and then later on God will facilitate
• God is the author in the success of our mission
• It is a disclaimer that only one person can make a great project successful. The reason that the leader succeeds is because the followers are obedient and cooperative
• No man is an island. We need bridges to connect to each other
• In the end we can say our mission is fulfilled
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