Mission To Serve

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
04 July 2010


We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Isaiah 66:10-14
Rejoice, Jerusalem,
be glad for her, all you who love her!
Rejoice, rejoice for her,
all you who mourned her!
That you may be suckled, filled,
from her consoling breast,
that you may savour with delight
her glorious breasts.
For thus says the Lord:
Now towards her I send flowing
peace, like a river,
and like a stream in spate
the glory of the nations.
At her breast will her nurslings be carried
and fondled in her lap.
Like a son comforted by his mother
will I comfort you.
And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.
At the sight your heart will rejoice,
and your bones flourish like the grass.
To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 65:1-7,16,20

Second reading Galatians 6:14-18
The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. It does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who form the Israel of God.
I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.

Gospel Luke 10:1-12,17-20
The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.
‘Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.
‘Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, “We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.’
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’

Reflection
By Patty De la Rosa-Paat

Preaching the Gospel to all nations is not exactly a work in the park. It’s a gargantuan task that requires patience, humility, perseverance and long suffering. As in the case when this passage of the scripture was written.According to St Luke, Jesus admonished the seventy two “missionaries" to loose themselves from their personal interests and caprices in order for them to work effectively in preaching the good news.

True enough that the above mentioned virtues are really pre-requisites to such work, for the simple reason that it is a risky mission for them to preach the Gospel in a nation or country which is being ruled by the ROMAN EMPIRE! A nation that is literally ruled by pagans and none believers of Christianity. Our Savior Jesus Christ was crucified because the Romans were worried that Jesus' popularity may cause a threat to their Empire.

If we compare the situation in our present time, it is similar to the case of the missionaries that some Christian organization send to preach the Gospel in poor or non- Christian countries where there are conflicting beliefs, doctrines and practices. Some of these places are considered dangerous for Christian believers. Thus, it would really take a huge amount of faith for any missionary to take that journey of preaching the Gospel in a place where they could lose their lives.

Today, I believe the greatest adversary that we have is no longer any EMPIRE or any nations that will stop us from preaching the Gospel, but SELF INTEREST and PRIDE. We often try to rationalize our shortcomings by way of saying that WE DON’T HAVE THE TIME.

We are not required to submit ourselves to any missionary groups but in our own simple ways, let us allow the Lord to use us in serving Him in any capacity we can. There are so many ways that we can serve Him. We can see Him in different faces. Through the faces of those people who are in need of help, who are in trouble, those who are suffering from difficulties and pain or even those children who beg for food.

Let us open our eyes and we will see God plans for us and what He wants us to do. He has a divine purpose for our life. Let us use the gifts that we have and enrich them by way of helping others.

Lord Jesus, as you have granted us the privilege of being a light for others.

Give us
…. the strength to develop patience

….a desire to be helpful and cooperative

….To be generous and charitable

….To share our time, efforts, talents, skills, and material possessions to those who needed most.


May we never be so selfish, as we think only of ourselves

Help us not to fail You, in this all important work

Let our thoughts, desires and intentions center around You,

Every moment of the day.


Keep our eyes open to accept our mission in life

To become Your faithful servants.

We may do what is pleasing to God the Father and to You. Amen.

Next on God-speak
Indifference, The Saddest of All!