A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-9)
Jesus said to the disciples: 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 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.'”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus commissions seventy-two disciples, sending them out ahead of him to do urgently what he himself will do: proclaim the Kingdom of God. His words are not meant only for those disciples at that time in history but also for every Christian who hears and responds to the Lord. In a world full of brokenness and division, Jesus commands those who follow him to be a means of peace and healing while proclaiming God’s kingdom. To take on such a task, the disciples are to depend on God for a roof over their head and a meal placed before them. Like lambs among wolves, the disciples are to rely on God’s guidance and provision, and the power to bring God’s work to fruition. Then, as today, the Kingdom of God is at hand!
Father in heaven, give me the grace I need to be steadfast every day in proclaiming your kingdom. Saint Paul describes the resistance he met in preaching and his isolation and exposure to mortal danger. Whatever I do in your name today, Lord, help me remember his complete reliance on you. As he writes in his letter to Timothy, “But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.” Stand by me today, Lord, as you give me every opportunity to love and serve others according to your will.
From the Gospel acclamation: “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” Saint Luke, pray for us!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.