Catechism Links[1]
CCC 541-546: the Kingdom of God
is at hand
CCC 787, 858-859: the Apostles,
united to the mission of Christ
CCC 2122: “the laborer deserves
his food”
CCC 2816-2821: “Your kingdom come”
CCC 555, 1816, 2015: the Cross as the
way to follow Christ
 |
| “The Seventy Disciples are Sent out Two by Two” by James Tissot, 1886-96 |
Reading 1:
Isaiah 66:10-14c
Thus says the Lord:
Rejoice with Jerusalem
all you who love her;
exult, exult with her,
all you who were mourning over her!
Oh, that you may suck fully
of the milk of her comfort,
that you may nurse with delight
at her abundant breasts!
For thus says the Lord:
Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.
As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms,
and fondled in her lap;
as a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
in Jerusalem
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice
and your bodies flourish like the grass;
the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.
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Commentary on
Is 66:10-14c
Isaiah speaks metaphorically to
those returning from exile. They hear of the creation (birth without pain) of
God’s children in a New Jerusalem. He uses the image of a mother nursing her
child as an image of God's loving care for the people he has called home. His oracle relates to a time of prosperity
that comes about due to God’s love for those he has created. It is a calling
home, a call to return to that place that gave them birth.
CCC: Is 66:13 239, 370
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16,
20
R. (1) Let all the earth cry out
to God with joy.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your
deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
“Let all on earth worship and sing
praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children
of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I
declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
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Commentary on
Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
Psalm 66 is a song of thanksgiving. As
it continues, the selection starts with part of the community blessing the
Lord, and follows with the second and third strophes being individual responses
to the communal prayer. In the final strophe, v.20, we see the usual action of
the person who has been rescued coming forward to teach the community what God
has done.
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Reading II:
Galatians 6:14-18
Brothers and sisters:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does
uncircumcision,
but only a new creation.
Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule
and to the Israel
From now on, let no one make troubles for me;
for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.
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Commentary on
Gal 6:14-18
St. Paul, in this selection,
tells the Galatians that the Good News of Christ (and Him crucified) is for all
people, not just for those who came from the Jewish tradition (“For neither
does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new
creation”). He then tells his audience that, not through the ancient marks
of branding does he belong to Christ, but through the marks of his persecution
(from stonings and beatings).
CCC: Gal 6:15 1214
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Gospel:
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
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
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
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom
The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
“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.”
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Commentary on
Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
It is only in Luke’s Gospel that
we find the sending of the 72. This event is supported in other
non-biblical accounts of the period (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) - Church History).
It is noteworthy that the instructions given to these disciples are very
similar to those given to the twelve in Luke 22:35. As the 72 return, the Lord reminds them that the power they have demonstrated over the
forces of evil (“…even the demons are subject to us because of your name”)
is a consequence of their adoption (“your names are written in heaven”)
not some personal merit or natural ability.
This selection emphasizes Jesus' early struggle to accomplish what he came to do by himself. We sense his
humanness as he says: "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are
few," We also find this event and statement in St. Matthew’s Gospel,
where, instead of the 72, he names the 12 (Matthew 10:1-8). While
in St. Matthew’s story Jesus sends them first to the Hebrew people, St. Luke
makes no such distinction.
This effort by Jesus was modeled
on Moses’ leadership structure in which 70 elders were appointed (Numbers 11:24-25). It is
also possible that the reference number, 70, relates to the number of nations
mentioned in Genesis 10. The disciples were sent
two by two, a custom that would be replicated later in the post-resurrection
missionary activities of the Church (see Acts 8:14; 15:39-40).
In another historical similarity,
the disciples were sent without possessions, presumably depending upon the
traditionally required hospitality for their support. Similar instructions were
given by the Prophet Elisha as he sent his servant in 2 Kings 4:29.
The Lord’s instructions
concerning hospitality, “…laborer deserves his payment,” is also quoted in
St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 5:18b), and
has further support in 1 Corinthians 9:7, 14. Those
who labor on behalf of the Gospel, and cannot take time to support themselves,
deserve the support of the community. In a final twist, the Lord’s instruction,
to “…eat what is set before you,” sets aside Mosaic dietary laws
(also 1 Corinthians 10:27 and Acts 10:25). It is a clear
indication that the scope of their mission is to call all peoples to the
Gospel.
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OR: (Shorter Form) Luke 10:1-9
At
that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
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
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Commentary on
Lk 10:1-9
It is only in Luke’s Gospel that
we find the sending of the 72. This event is supported in other
non-biblical accounts of the period (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) - Church History).
It is noteworthy that the instructions given to these disciples are very
similar to those given to the twelve in Luke 22:35.
This shorter form omits the
consequences spelled out for those who reject the messengers. It also
omits the account of the success of these emissaries, bringing to sharper focus
the shared mission to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all (note: Jesus does
not, as St. Matthew reports, send them just to the Jewish population.).
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Homily
Living
in the information age, we receive so many messages and so much information
each day it is difficult to keep our own issues and challenges in focus. We are affected by, not just local issues,
new taxes, problems facing schools and infrastructure (roads), but we have
instant access to news, events, and images from around the world. The natural rhythm of our lives has reached a
pace our forebears could not have imagined.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed those 240 years ago, the
news of that event would have taken weeks and months to reach the ears of the
people in the thirteen colonies. Had
something of that magnitude taken place today, it would have been seen live by
anyone on the earth who cared to see it.
It
is easy to become caught up in the web technology has thrown over our human
interactions, so that we forget that there is a purpose in life beyond being
blown about here and there by things that occur in the net of
over-communication that exists in our modern society. With the advent of electronic social
networking, social norms of behavior have been challenged as they have never
been in the past. The most intimate
details of individual thoughts, dreams, and desires are blasted out to
multitudes who echo and amplify the basic human condition, unfettered by social
morals that encourage modesty, chastity, and spiritual grace. The attack is pervasive, instantaneous, and
relentless.
As
our Bishops remind us in the Fortnight for Freedom which ends on Independence
Day, this social noise attempts to establish a new norm for morality in our
country. The uninhibited expression of
disrespect for human dignity (ironically called bullying when it is used among
the young in our society) is now being used against anyone who does not
subscribe to the amoral code being pushed by those who would disregard natural
law when it comes to marriage, and disregard human life when it comes to
contraception, abortion, and sterilization.
They call us bigots because we cling to our Christian morality, and
“haters” if we reject compromising our long established belief in the natural
law supported by sacred scripture.
And
here we sit, in this Holy Space, being sent from here like “like lambs among
wolves.” We come together in worship to
be strengthened by Word, Sacrament, and a shared mission. Whether we accept it or not, our membership
in this faith community requires that we take the message of Christ into a
world that is virtually seething with counter messages. The generation coming up cannot imagine being
surprised to hear of an event that took place a week, or even a day ago. They will know instantly of any influence
anywhere in the world that affects them.
Without a filter, the filter of faith we can help them develop, they
will be at the mercy of those who would claim them for the world.
So
what do we do? Electronic communication
is everywhere. It’s not just radio or
TV, it’s not even computers. The smart phones of today reach into every part of
the world, and the messages and images from the world are not necessarily
positive influences. Even adults can be
lured into areas of information they should avoid.
The
first thing we do is discipline ourselves.
New technology requires new discipline.
The availability of information can lead us into temptation in the
modern age, temptation to greed, to lust, and to disregard human dignity and
life. Ironically the forces that lead us
in these directions are guaranteed by the very document signed in Pennsylvania
those centuries ago that hoped to preserve life and human dignity. It is so pervasive we have to work to avoid
it. Our values of freedom of religion
are challenged like never before, while the rights of those who would demean
the human person are held up as symbols of modern open-mindedness.
We
are called, as Christ’s modern disciples, to go into the world bearing the
Gospel message. We are challenged by the
Lord to accept the task he hands us. We
witness first to our families and friends, then to our associates, school mates
and co-workers, and finally to any with whom we have contact. We must be confident that we are well
equipped to take on this mission. The
Lord has called us: he sends us, he asks us only to do what we can to make his
message of love and forgiveness known.
We pray for the strength and wisdom to take up the task of the 72 whom
he sent and who came back rejoicing at their victory.
Pax
In other years on this date
(And for parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle):
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic
Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[3]
The picture is “The Seventy Disciples are Sent out Two by Two” by James Tissot,
1886-96
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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