From the responsorial psalm: “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-12)
Jesus said to the disciples: “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.”
As he sends out the seventy-two disciples, Jesus provides step-by-step instructions for the drama of missionary life. He shares with them what they are to do as they enter and exit whatever town, and he also tells them their line: “The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.” In teaching the disciples, Jesus also teaches us how to move about in peace as we enter and exit the lives of others we encounter throughout the day.
God, help me hear the words of Jesus and carry them with me through the end of the day. Although there might not be an opportunity to tell someone the kingdom of God is at hand for them, I have the moments you give me to see in them the gift of your presence. In recognition of your absence, I have the opportunity to long for you; in lack of recognition, that possibility goes away. Give me the grace, Lord, to know that the day is not about me but that I am made to see you face to face in your kingdom. Help me remember the words of Job: “And from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.”
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.