14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
| First reading |
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| 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.
| Responsorial Psalm |
|---|
| 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.
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.’
By Arthur B. Reyes
In today’s Gospel we hear of Jesus’ marching orders and instructions to His disciples whom He had sent ahead of Him. They were to go by pairs, carry no extra provisions, stay in the same house, and proclaim the message of peace and reconciliation.
As I write this reflection I came across a news feed about a discovered tunnel in Lithuania that allowed Jewish prisoners to escape to freedom, decades after they used it to flee the Nazis one night in April 1944. The escapees were part of a group tasked with the horrific job of burning bodies to cover up the Nazi’s crimes.
In one of the most moving moments in the epic movie Schindler’s List, Oscar Schindler, who had given away his efforts and fortune in saving the lives of hundreds of Jews begins to cry. Looking at his watch, he realized that if he had sold it he could have saved another life. He glanced at his car and knew that he could have exchanged it for additional lives. He says to his friend, "I could have done more."
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” What exactly does this mean? The field, in which the harvest is, refers to us, the whole human race, or the whole world. And from the meaning of the field, it is clear what "harvest" means. In the broadest sense, it refers to the state of the whole human race as to its acceptance of goodness through truth.
Think of the people we come across every day: our family, our friends, our co-workers, our kasambahay, our neighbors, the gas station help, the jeepney driver, the security guard, and so on. That is our field and we are responsible for them, for each other in fact. When we realize that we are responsible, we will begin to have a sense of commitment.
I think the most effective form of evangelism we can offer is the way in which we live our lives, and by the example we set as Christians. The best place to start is in our homes and communities, and in our relationships with one another. I also believe that some of the best forms of evangelism come in small ways with random acts of kindness, like helping a distressed elderly lady carry her things. And certainly, we could do more than that. One kind act at a time will go a long mile, one step at a time.
Our job is not to save the harvest because God will take care of that. Our job is to tell people about the Lord of the harvest.
Lord, we come to You as a community of disciples. Make us begin to see people as You see them, and stir our hearts to make a difference in the harvest. Create in us a reflection of your overflowing grace. Amen.
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