July 8, 2007 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

  2007년 7월 8일 연중 제14주일 

 

 제1독서

역대기 하 24,18-22
그 무렵 18 요아스 임금과 유다의 대신들은 주 저희 조상들의 하느님의 집을 저버리고, 아세라 목상과 다른 우상들을 섬겼다. 이 죄 때문에 유다와 예루살렘에 진노가 내렸다. 19 주님께서는 그들을 당신께 돌아오게 하시려고 그들에게 예언자들을 보내셨다. 이 예언자들이 그들을 거슬러 증언하였지만, 그들은 귀를 기울이지 않았다.
20 그때에 여호야다 사제의 아들 즈카르야가 하느님의 영에 사로잡혀, 백성 앞에 나서서 말하였다. “하느님께서 이렇게 말씀하십니다. ‘너희는 어찌하여 주님의 계명을 어기느냐? 그렇게 해서는 너희가 잘될 리 없다. 너희가 주님을 저버렸으니 주님도 너희를 저버렸다.’”
21 그러나 사람들은 그를 거슬러 음모를 꾸미고, 임금의 명령에 따라 주님의 집 뜰에서 그에게 돌을 던져 죽였다. 22 요아스 임금은 이렇게 즈카르야의 아버지 여호야다가 자기에게 바친 충성을 기억하지 않고, 그의 아들을 죽였다. 즈카르야는 죽으면서, “주님께서 보고 갚으실 것이다.” 하고 말하였다.

제2독서

로마서 5,1-5
형제 여러분, 1 믿음으로 의롭게 된 우리는 우리 주 예수 그리스도를 통하여 하느님과 더불어 평화를 누립니다. 2 믿음 덕분에, 우리는 그리스도를 통하여 우리가 서 있는 이 은총 속으로 들어올 수 있게 되었습니다. 그리고 하느님의 영광에 참여하리라는 희망을 자랑으로 여깁니다. 3 그뿐만 아니라 우리는 환난도 자랑으로 여깁니다. 우리가 알고 있듯이, 환난은 인내를 자아내고 4 인내는 수양을, 수양은 희망을 자아냅니다. 5 그리고 희망은 우리를 부끄럽게 하지 않습니다. 우리가 받은 성령을 통하여 하느님의 사랑이 우리 마음에 부어졌기 때문입니다.

 

 복음

마태오 10,17-22
그때에 예수님께서 사도들에게 말씀하셨다.
17 “사람들을 조심하여라. 그들이 너희를 의회에 넘기고 회당에서 채찍질할 것이다. 18 또 너희는 나 때문에 총독들과 임금들 앞에 끌려가, 그들과 다른 민족들에게 증언할 것이다. 19 사람들이 너희를 넘길 때, 어떻게 말할까, 무엇을 말할까 걱정하지 마라. 너희가 무엇을 말해야 할지, 그때에 너희에게 일러 주실 것이다. 20 사실 말하는 이는 너희가 아니라 너희 안에서 말씀하시는 아버지의 영이시다.
21 형제가 형제를 넘겨 죽게 하고 아버지가 자식을 그렇게 하며, 자식들도 부모를 거슬러 일어나 죽게 할 것이다. 22 그리고 너희는 내 이름 때문에 모든 사람에게 미움을 받을 것이다. 그러나 끝까지 견디는 이는 구원을 받을 것이다.”

 

 

 

 July 8, 2007

 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

  

 Reading 1
Is 66:10-14c

Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
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 like a river,
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 you shall find your comfort.

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.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 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.

Reading II
Gal 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 of God.

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.

Gospel
Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 or 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 is at hand for you.’
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 is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

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.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

 It is Ordinary Time and rejoicing must be a part of our lives-remembering and taking to heart all that God has done for us, comforting us and providing for us so that we flourish and know his power at work in us and the world. We have been given even God's beloved child and we are baptized and live in the power of the cross and resurrection-we are made utterly new. Do we boast of our marks of being a Christian? Have we ever suffered for what we believe? Have we shared of the excess that is ours? Do we dwell in peace and mercy so that others know that our boasting in the Lord is legitimate?

Jesus sends us out two by two to go before him into the world. We are to go lightly, with only what we need, remembering that we are the peacemakers in a world where people destroy those who do not belong to them. We bring peace as the Good News of God. And what are the fruits of peace?-healing, welcome, sharing. Always we are to be intimations of what is coming-the reign of God's peace with abiding justice for all. We must keep in mind that it is a privilege and an honor to live in the kingdom now and be a part of Jesus' mission to make holy the whole world.

 

 

 PRE-PRAYERING

It would be such a great relief and sense of joyful freedom if we could but drop into the holy Water font at the entrance of our church, all that bothers us, ties us up in knots, or renders us feeling less holy than that water. That part of our personal Entrance Ritual is important to our celebration of God’s Word and God’s Word made Flesh, now among us.The water of our baptisms made sacred all that it means to be human and welcomed into the community of faith.

We prepare for this week’s liturgy by praying with, rather than about, those things we’d rather discard or have immediately cleansed. Jesus comes in Word and Sacrament to reclaim us as His own. We can prepare to receive His Word and Life by holding on to the cards we’ve been dealt and especially those we don’t know how to play.

REFLECTION

There is a joyful theme in our First Reading for this liturgy. These verses are a section of the last chapter of the prophet Isaiah. The city of Jerusalem is celebrated as a nourishing mother giving birth and life to Her child, Israel. There had been a rebuilding of the temple and all who felt abandoned by God, because of the temple’s destruction, now are to come with the eagerness of nursing children to be fed and comforted by Her presence.

This is a short poem concluding and summarizing the history of God’s call to the people of Israel, their failure to respond, their being separated from their covenanted land, God’s calling them back home, and the joy of Israel’s now being newly born as a re-covenanted people. The riches of fertility will be flowing like mother’s milk and the birth-pangs are forgotten as God’s holy family is born anew. The real call of joy is that the city of Jerusalem’s being home again for God’s people is a clearer revelation of the unabandonable God and Husband of Jerusalem.

The longer form of the Gospel has two sections. There is the selection and sending of the seventy-two with detailed instructions about their depending on nothing except their call. The second section relates their return and all they could do in His Name. As a response to their excited stories, Jesus urges them to be less joyful at the power they have received and seen working through them, but more because they belong to and live in the hands of God. Their names are written on those Hands of God and they have been sent to extend to the world those very same loving hands.

I have in my personal wardrobe approximately thirty-five t-shirts for running and warm-weather wearing. Each has some identifying lettering. Various sports teams, schools, clubs, fund-raising runs in which I have jogged slowly, and many other groups and events are displayed on my broadening chest, sleeves and back. All kinds of free advertising is available on these shirts, jackets, hats, and pants. For some though these signages are ways of advertising an identity. I am a somebody, because I am a fan of this team, school or state. The human struggle, the spiritual war within us, underneath those shirts, is about “Who owns me? To whom do I belong?”

The Gospel relates the great works of the early disciples, because they knew the answers to these questions. Their powerful deeds came flowing from their confidence in whose hands they had found themselves. They wore their inner-selves on their sleeves and allowed their true identity to play out through their arms, hands, and total persons.

Jesus warned them not to take along extra t-shirts or jackets announcing that they belonged to somebody or something else. They were not to depend or lean on anything for assistance except their being His team. As Jerusalem and Israel belonged to God, by God’s covenantal choice, renewed again and again, so these early followers grew to free themselves from false names and claims.

In these United States, this past week, we were invited to remember that our early birth as a nation was brought about by a revolution from an unwanted identity as a British colony. Those early founders or freers wanted freedom from and freedom for. Independence Day is our national holiday of identity, whether we live that identity as a free and freeing nation is not always clear. Those early revolters knew who they did not want to be and we are still struggling to discover our radical dependence on God.

Each time we gather at the Eucharist we are revolting against our being dominated, or controlled, or identified by anything except by our baptismal’s being claimed as belonging to Christ. We are so tempted to belong to other gods, other forces within ourselves and outside. Our personal revolutions continue each day and the true God’s ways are not always as attractive as those of other gods of this world.

So tomorrow I will jog with my new t-shirt announcing the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway, even though my way of speed is decreasing. I will try, with God’s grace to play His hands, run His race, be His grace, extend His embrace, and live a little more my belonging to Him.

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord; blessed is he who hopes in God.” Ps. 34, 9

 

 by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

 

 

"The harvest is plentiful... Pray the Lord to send out laborers into his harvest"

 

Do you know what the Lord's vision is for today's harvest? Luke the Evangelist dedicated his life to telling others of the good news of Jesus Christ. Luke's account in his Gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles emphasizes the mission of Jesus to bring the kingdom of God to every corner of the world. When Jesus commissioned seventy of his disciples to go on mission, he gave them a vision of a great harvest for the kingdom of God.  Jesus frequently used the image of a harvest to convey the coming of God’s reign on earth.  The harvest is the fruition of labor and growth -- beginning with the sowing of seeds, then growth, and finally fruit for the harvest.  In like manner, the word of God is sown in the hearts of receptive men and women who submit to God and honor him as their Lord and King.  The harvest Jesus had in mind was not only for the people of Israel, but for all the peoples (or nations)of the world. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

What does Jesus mean when he says his disciples must be lambs in the midst of wolves? The prophet Isaiah foretold a time when wolves and lambs will dwell in peace (Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25). This certainly refers to the second coming of Christ when all will be united under the Lordship of Jesus after he has put down his enemies and established the reign of God over the heavens and the earth.  In the meantime, the disciples must expect opposition and persecution from those who oppose the gospel.  Jesus came as the true "sacrificial lamb" who atones for the sin of the whole world.  We, as disciples of Jesus, the Lamb of God, must also be willing to sacrifice our lives in humble service of our Lord and Master.

What is the significance of Jesus appointing seventy disciples to the ministry of the word?  Seventy was a significant number in biblical times. Moses chose seventy elders to help him in the task of leading the people through the wilderness. The Jewish Sanhedrin, the governing council for the nation of Israel, was composed of seventy members. In Jesus’ times seventy was held to be the number of nations throughout the world.  Jesus commissioned the seventy to a two-fold task: to speak in his name and to act with his power.  Jesus gave them instructions in how they were to carry out their ministry.  They must go and serve as men without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity.  They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must  travel light -- only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them -- in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward.

“Poverty of spirit” frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision for us.  The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. God gives us his Word and his Spirit that we may have life in him--abundant, grace-filled life which never ends. He wills to work through and in each of us for his glory. God shares his word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others. Do you believe in the power of his word? And are you ready to witness the joy and truth of the gospel to others?

Why does Jesus tell his disciples to not take joy in their own successes, even spiritual ones? Jesus makes clear that the true source of our joy is God, and God alone.  Regardless of the circumstances, in good times and bad times, in  success or loss, God always assures us of victory in Jesus Christ.  Jesus assures his disciples that he has all power over evil, including the power of Satan and the evil spirits or fallen angels who conspire against us.  In fact, that is why Jesus came into the world to overthrow the evil one (John 12:31).  We, too, as disciples of Jesus have been given spiritual authority and power for overcoming the works of darkness and evil (1 John 2:13-14).

“Lord, may the joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”

Psalm 145:10-13,17-18

10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy sainst shall bless thee!
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,
12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

 

 

 A theme of joy pervades the texts of today’s Mass.    The joy comes from the proclamation of Good News.   What is the “Good News?”   In its essence, it is that God loves us, that he will see us through any crisis, and that he promises us everlasting joy.   
The first reading is from the very last chapter of Isaiah.   Isaiah sees the joy and peace which will come with God’s Messiah.   All nations will be united; all will worship together; all will be prosperous; there will be peace.   God will triumph.   Isaiah expected that this would happen shortly after the return of the exiles from Babylon; it didn’t happen that way.   But still we must have hope.   The Responsorial Psalm echoes the reading: Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.   Proclaim the marvelous deeds of the Lord; think of the blessings he has given you.
The gospel is the story of Jesus’ sending out seventy-two disciples to be his heralds on his way to Jerusalem.   They are to proclaim that the reign of God is at hand.    When the disciples return, Jesus rejoices  even though he is on his way to Jerusalem to suffer and die.   He rejoices because he sees Satan fall from heaven.   He rejoices because the power of evil will be broken.   He rejoices because eternal joy awaits in heaven.
The second reading tells us that we must never boast except in the cross of Christ.   This seems strange.  We want joy and happiness, yet we are to glory only in the cross!    But it is only by our willingness to empty ourselves in sharing the cross of Christ that we shall conquer evil and find true joy.
Why are we sad?   We are we depressed?   If we realize that God loves us, that he will always win, and that he will give us eternal life, how can we remain sad?   Let us rejoice in God’s Good News.   Let us live  in peace.

 

 

 Homily from Father James Gilhooley

Did you ever hear the story of the twenty dollar bill and the one dollar bill? They finally met in the US Treasury. After a long life, they had come to the end of their usefulness and were about to be destroyed. The twenty speaks, "I don't mind. I've had a good run. I have been in many excellent restaurants. I've been on great vacations. I've seen wonderful theater in my day." Then the twenty asks the one dollar bill "How about you, pilgrim? What kind of a time have you had?" Downcast, the one dollar bill responded, "Lousy!  I've spent most of my life at the bottom of collection baskets in Catholic churches." We laugh at this story, but the laugh is on us.
    
In verse 4 of today's Gospel, Jesus addresses the disciples, whom He is sending out into the field, "Carry no purse, no backpacks, no sandals." Many people like to think that Jesus was endorsing poverty for His missionaries. But that is not the case at all. Rather, He is telling them that those among whom they labor will supply them with purses, backpacks, and sandals. In a word, He was encouraging His followers to be generous to those working among them.
    
And, should anyone miss His point, The Teacher says in verse 7, "The laborer deserves his wages." The former carpenter, who Himself had no doubt been cheated by deadbeat clients in Nazareth, was saying to contemporary Catholics, "Just as you pay the plumbers and house-painters who work in your home, support my messengers who build your spirits and my Church."
    
How does this advice from the Teacher compare with the facts? A recent study showed that while the average Catholic family donates 1% of its income to the church, its counterpart in the Presbyterian church is giving 2.2% or more. That is of course two times what the Catholic family gives.
    
And, if anybody is anxious to take a guilt trip, do consider that the Mormons give 10% of their income to their church. And oftentimes they give two years of their lives working as missionaries.
    
Or how about this mind-boggling statistic? It is estimated that two million Seven Day Adventists give more money to their church for the missions than 800 million Catholics around the globe.
   
So, as somebody has put it, while most Catholics are willing to give God credit, too few are willing to give Him cash.
    
When was the last time you saw a BINGO sign outside a Mormon temple or a Presbyterian church? We Catholics do seem to have the market sewn up on that dubious adventure. I know of a Catholic parish that has four bingos weekly. one unhappily can argue that in the popular mind at least bingo is the fifth mark of the Church.
    
A comedian has been quoted as saying on national TV, "I knew I had pulled up in front of a Catholic church. As soon as I turned off the ignition, parishioners rushed out and began to raffle my car off." He of course got a big laugh. However, what kind of laughter would he have gotten had he substituted Presbyterian or Mormon for Catholic? I think we all know.
    
Our immigrant parents left to us as their legacy in the USA the largest parochial school system the world has ever witnessed. And yet we, who have more money than our parents ever dreamed of, are allowing that same system to slowly disintegrate. Our schools are threatening to go the way of the dinosaurs and the dodo bird. What will generations to come say of us, do you think? I wager they will be much less than kind.
    
The loser in all this is Jesus. We expend so much enthusiasm on cake sales, carnivals, etc that we have little strength left to get His message out to people. His life is called the greatest story ever told. But we have no time to tell it.    
   
Yet, do check today's Gospel. When He sent out the seventy two disciples, He did not instruct them to become blackjack dealers or pit men. Quite the contrary! He instructs His people in verse 2 to harvest the souls quickly that are waiting for them.

We should reflect long and hard on Rousseau's dictum, "When a man dies, he carries in his clutched hands only that which he has given away."

 

 

Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html

 Heralds of the Gospel

Last week’s Gospel began the central vehicle of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem.  As I mentioned last weekend, this section of the Gospel of Luke presents the journey of Jesus to his passion, death and resurrection as a prototype of the journey of all Christians with the Lord to fulfill the will of the Father.  We saw last week that nothing could stop the Lord from his journey.  He set his face like flint.  Those who would not follow Him, the Samaritans who rejected James and John’s announcement that Jesus was coming, the men who wanted to put off following Jesus, these  would be left behind in their misery. 

Today’s Gospel is the next section of the journey in Luke.  It is very positive.  Jesus sends seventy disciples to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom.  They returned laughing and shouting and full of joy.  They saw God’s power working through them.  Jesus himself is beside himself with joy. “I have watched Satan fall from the sky like lightning,” He says,  The new order, the new world, was beginning.

Let’s look a little closer at the seventy.  First of all, you might say, “My missallette says, seventy-two, not seventy.” Actually, some translations of the Bible put the number as seventy, some others as seventy-two. 

The Catholic editions of the Bible see a significance  in the number being seventy.  Why?  Seventy was also the number of men that composed the ruling Jewish council in Jesus’ day, the Sanhedrin.  In the Book of Genesis seventy descendants of Jacob moved with him from Israel to Egypt to begin a new life.  In the Book of Exodus, seventy elders go up the Mountain of God along with Moses to learn about the new covenant with YHWH.  Jesus appears to have chosen seventy, over and above the twelve, as a sign that something new was taking place.  A new group of people were being formed who would share in this power.  “Look what I have done,” Jesus says from throne in Revelations 21:5, “I have made all things new.”

And this is where we come in.  Christ sends us all out into our worlds.  He gives us the power to conquer the forces of evil, to  stomp on snakes.  He gives us the power to announce his presence with our lives.  We are not just members of an organization.  We are not just followers of Jesus.  We are the heralds of his Kingdom bringing his presence to others.

We are heralds of God’s Kingdom and conquers of evil when in our jobs we make moral, Christian decisions.  I have often heard many of you tell me that the workplace is a jungle.  Be a Christian in the jungle.  Refrain from throwing darts at others.  If we do this, and I include myself and all priests who dabble in a deranged desire for power, we might be embarrassed to realize that one of the reasons for our concern about how well he and she is doing their jobs is that we might want their position for ourselves.  That’s the way of the world, the way of the jungle, but not the way of Christ.  Be a herald of the Gospel that says “treat others with fairness and respect as you also wish to be treated.” This is a new way of being in the world, different than the norm of operation.    Others will eventually recognize your sincerity.  You may never realize this, but by being a good Christian person in the business world you are providing others with an experience of Christ.

We are heralds of the Kingdom in our own homes when we continue to work hard on treating each other with profound respect.  Husbands and wives need to recognize each other as people made in the image of God.  Yes, there are many blemishes.  There are many rough spots.  Don’t let the grey areas blind you to the beauty of the person you gave your life to in marriage.  Husbands and wives approach God through each other.  Don’t fall into the habit of saying negative things about you spouse to others.  Treat your spouse with respect and others will experience the Kingdom in your marriage.  Many young couples pick the reading “You are the Light of the world,” for their wedding gospel.  Your marriages are not just for yourselves.  You were given this vocation to give witness to the world that Christ can and does live in the sacrament of matrimony.

We often speak about the obligation that children have to respect and honor their parents, the fourth commandment.  Sometimes, we might not be precise or concrete.  Don’t let your children get away with “sassing back”.  It is your job as a parent to teach your children to respect others in authority beginning with the way your children speak to you and to your wife or husband.  At the same time, treat your children with profound respect.  When they get you upset, give yourself a cooling off time so your response can be constructive.  Never belittle your children.  A passing comment, like “I don’t expect you to be as good as your brother,” can destroy a child’s self-worth.  Don’t say negative things about your children to others.  It is difficult being  good parents.  You may have many rough areas that you are working on with your children  in your homes.  But outside the doors of your homes, when speaking with others, say nothing but good things about your children.  Your children will experience the respect their parents have for them.  They will have a clearer view of your love when they hear you saying to your neighbor, or your relatives, “She or he is really such a good child.”  This is just one of the many ways through which you can be heralds of God’s Kingdom for your own children.

We should also remember that we have been called to be heralds of the Kingdom in our nation.  Our Founding Fathers believed in the presence of God’s hand forming us into a country where the dignity of all would be respected.  We are still learning how to be this nation.  It took our nation a hundred years to recognize that slavery opposed the very essence of its existence.  How could we be a land of the free if people owned other people?  We are only recently passing laws to ensure the dignity of those who are physically or mentally challenged.  We are only recently becoming concerned on a national level with the growing

number of the homeless.  A country’s greatness is seen in the way it treats its poorest members.  When we Christians are active in reaching out to others, in fighting for the rights of all in our nation, then we are bringing a new way into our world.  We are being heralds of the Gospel.

Jesus picked seventy.  He sent them out to bring his power to the world.  Everyone here, everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian, are part of the seventy.  Wherever we go, whatever we do, we have the ability and the responsibility to proclaim the power and the presence of Christ.

May we all be heralds of the Gospel.

 

 Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html

 Gospel Summary

Earlier in his gospel Luke tells us the intention of Jesus as he begins his ministry: "To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent"(4:43). Later when he was accused of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebul he responded, "But if it is by the finger [power] of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you"(11:20). Now Jesus appoints seventy-two others whom he sends out with the same mission and purpose as his own. The disciples receive instructions about how they are to carry out their mission: for example, they are to "carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals." There is also an ominous word of warning. Jesus says, "I am sending you like lambs among wolves." He assures them, however, that Satan has fallen. Yet the disciples are to rejoice, not because the evil spirits are subject to them, but because their names are written in heaven -- they belong to God.

Life Implications

We try to bring the implications of Luke's gospel to consciousness at a time when many people in the church seem to have lost hope. They are weary, intimidated by the power of secular culture, and often contentious with each other. People feel helpless in face of the pervasive violence and a sub-culture of dehumanizing poverty while the stock market continues to climb. John Paul II called the life-destroying aspect of our modern world the "culture of death." The false value-systems of the world still seem to have control over the way we think and treat each other.

It is also important to remember that the church of Luke's time was much like our own--contention within and persecution without. Peter, Paul and many early followers of Jesus had been executed in the Roman Empire by the time Luke wrote his gospel. Paul's experience, a few decades earlier in Athens, could well have happened in any modern city. After he had proclaimed the resurrection of Christ to the Athenians, the response was mostly ridicule or indifference. Some said, "We should like to hear you on this some other time"(Acts 18:32). A few men and women, however, came to believe.

If the celebration of the Eucharist today is to renew our beleaguered hope, we like the Twelve and the seventy-two must hear Jesus speaking the words of the gospel personally to each of us. It is we, either as successors of the Twelve or of the seventy-two, who are being sent for the same purpose that Jesus was sent. The seemingly impossible mission to do what Jesus did would paralyze our spirit unless today we also hear Jesus say to us, "Rejoice because your names are written in heaven." We rejoice because we are members of the household and family of God.

What is the reality to which the biblical ｅxpression "kingdom of God" points? The ｅxpression is richly multifaceted in meaning. The kingdom of God comes into being wherever God reigns, and wherever God's will is done. The kingdom of God is present in persons through whom God acts. It is no surprise that in the early church the kingdom of God soon came to be identified with Christ himself. God reigns in Christ. God's will is done in Christ. God acts through Christ. To proclaim the kingdom of God is the same as to proclaim Christ. In fact, the church from its beginning, by proclaiming the good news of Christ, was being faithful to his mandate to proclaim the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God has come upon us if God reigns in our hearts, if God's will is done in us, if God acts through us. Sometimes one can sense God's presence in a person or in a community. Thus what the Second Vatican Council says of Christ may also be said of us: "The presence of the kingdom is seen in the words and works, but above all in the person, of Christ himself" (Lumen Gentium, #5).

There is a sense of urgency in the words Jesus addresses to us. Even though we are urged to action, it is equally clear that by our own strength we cannot subdue the evil powers of this world and cure its ills. So that we do not forget to trust in God's power in all we do, Jesus tells us to "carry no money bags, no sack, no sandals." We will be able to continue Christ's mission in the particular circumstances of our lives with audacious hope only if we believe that whatever good we do, it is by the finger of God. And when this happens, we can say with Christ, "The kingdom of God has come upon you."

 

 Homily from Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html

 The Church, the community or communio founded by Christ, shares in the Passion and Cross he endured as the God-man, but at the same time also shares in his divine mission and power.

"...the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.' " (Lk 10:1-2)

All of the labor of Gods people is good and all given by God for holiness. But no work of human hands can be raised up for supernatural good and for salvation without the work of the Church, the gathering of Gods faithful and baptized from every people and nation on earth, the sanctification of souls through word and sacrament.

"The Lord Jesus endowed his community with a structure that will remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved. Before all else there is the choice of the Twelve with Peter as their head. (Cf. Mk 3:14-15.) Representing the twelve tribes of Israel, they are the foundation stones of the new Jerusalem. (Cf. Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30; Rev 21:12-14.) The Twelve and the other disciples share in Christ's mission and his power, but also in his lot. (Cf. Mk 6:7; Lk 10:1-2; Mt 10:25; Jn 15:20.) By all his actions, Christ prepares and builds his Church." (CCC 765)

The Apostles, sent by Christ, have through their authority sent out successors to continue their work. Our bishops today send out priests who cooperate in the work of bringing in an abundant harvest of souls for the kingdom.

"The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the faithful they represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon themselves his duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them." priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and in communion with him. The promise of obedience they make to the bishop at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in return owe him love and obedience." (CCC 1567)

We must pray for vocations to the priesthood that the grace of the sacraments may be richly poured out in the Church. The Catechism reminds us:

only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ." (CCC 1495)

only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself." (CCC 1530)

only validly ordained priests can preside at the Eucharist and consecrate the bread and the wine so that they become the Body and Blood of the Lord." (CCC 1411)

By Gods will the sacramental life makes necessary the life and ministry of the priests, who are thus constitutive, or necessary, to the life of the Church and the salvation of the world.

Our divinely appointed mission is to work, pray and encourage young people to pursue vocations to the priesthood as well as the religious life, those whom he sends out "two by two" that they may bear him to all places and peoples. In particular, the laborers who number "few" are the men called to share the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ, without which there is no Holy Mass and no Eucharist, no absolution or anointing.

Pray to the Lord of the harvest as a share in the mission and power of Christ, eternal high Priest. And answer the call with courage and humility if you are one of the privileged and heroic "few".

Todays readings: Isaiah 66: 10-14c; Psalm 66: 1-7, 16, 20; Galatians 6: 14-18; St. Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20. See also nos. 763, 764, 766, , 787, 2122, 2611 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.)
 
Let's pray for each other until, together next week, we "meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick