OT XIV [C] : Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

Today’s Scriptures remind us that announcing the Good News of the Kingdom by words, deeds, and life is not the task of only a few. Rather, it is a task of all baptized Christians. The 2.38 billion Christians (31%) in the world today have the same mission of the 72, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the other 5 billion non-Christians. While all the synoptic Gospels mention a mission of the Twelve, only Luke adds a second mission of the 72. 

Christ's appointing seventy-two disciples (some Greek manuscripts identify seventy) to collaborate in his mission is an action with deep Biblical significance. When Moses was leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land, God had him appoint seventy elders to receive Moses' same spirit and become his assistants. Later, the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Israel after their return from the Babylonian exile, was made up of 71 elders.

The number 72 may even have yet another level of meaning. The Book of Genesis described the division of the non-Jewish world into 70 nations. So Jesus' choice of 72 disciples may reflect the universality of his saving mission. It includes those 70 Gentile nations, plus the nation of Israel, and, perhaps, his Church, the new People of God. A total of 72.

By following this pattern, Christ, the new Moses, shows that he is bringing the Old Covenant to its fulfillment. This Old and New Testament insistence on God's choosing coworkers to help build his Kingdom shows us something essential about our Lord: he is a team player. Jesus is saving the world, but not all by himself. He wants to do it with our help. From the pope down to the most recently baptized believer, we all share the same mission: to help Christ build up his Kingdom. This should be our greatest joy. Unlike the Twelve, called by the Lord to remain with Him, the seventy-two then returned to their families and their work. They lived there with what they had found with Jesus: to bear witness, each in its place, just helping those to come closer to Christ.

As Pope Benedict once wrote: "I am convinced that there is a great need for the whole Church to rediscover the joy of evangelization, to become a community inspired with missionary zeal to make Jesus better known and loved."

Sometimes we think of the Church as kind of a gas station - somewhere we go to fill up our spiritual tanks. That's part of the story, but not the whole story. We are his coworkers, his fellow laborers. We are players on his team. And on his team there are no bench-warmers. Announcing the Good News of the kingdom is not something optional for a Christian. The disciples received instructions as to how they were to carry out their mission. For example, “Do not carry a walking staff or traveling bag; wear no sandals.” The disciples were only armed with their Faith and the name of Jesus. They needed nothing more. Their detachment from material goods would enable them to uphold the absolute priority of preaching the Good News. They did not need a staff or provisions because God would take care of them through the people to whom they were to preach. The spirit of detachment would also help them to trust more deeply in Divine Providence and would oblige them to rely humbly on the hospitality of those who were receptive to the Gospel. Their life-style should help proclaim their message.

 “Greet no one along the way.” (See also 2 Kings 4:29). This instruction implies that the mission was so urgent that nothing should divert the disciples from it.  Likewise, the disciples were told to travel in pairs (perhaps for mutual support), suggesting that the work of evangelization should be a collective one. And if you have a companion you can encourage each other when you face rejection.

Why most people don’t talk about their faith to others any longer is due to fear of being rejected. Very often this fear is unfounded. However, if we never got rejected for the sake of faith we never did any mission work either.

A recent survey asked the question, “Why do adults join the Catholic Church in spite of the scandals publicized in the media?”  Seventy-five percent of the new adult converts to the Catholic Church reported that they were attracted by a personal invitation from a Catholic who had a lively relationship with Christ and his Church.  As faithful Catholics, we will attract others to the Catholic Church—just as a rose attracts people by its beauty and fragrance. It’s our job.  It’s our responsibility. We must not miss the current opportunities to be apostles in everyday life by our words and deeds.

Sr. Lynn will be starting the OCIA sessions soon. It used to be called RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Now it is called Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. The RCIA participants were usually referred to as a “candidate.” OCIA will be split depending on where the candidate is in the initiation process. Terms used will be “inquirer,” “catechumen” and “elect.” During the COVID season we did not have anybody joining during Easter season. Now we should think about inviting someone to be a Catholic. As said, do not bother about the fear of being rejected. Rejection adds to the merit of the work.

 When Jesus tells his listeners to "ask the master of the harvest", he is telling us to pray for vocations. This is something concrete that every Catholic can do to further the Church's mission. Asking God to send the Church, vocations to the priesthood, consecrated life, and missionary life shows that we care about what Christ cares about, that we really care about being on his team. On this Sunday let’s recognize our call to be missionaries, to be Christ’s face, tongue, hands and feet, for without us Christ does not preach Gospel any more.