A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-12)
Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them . . . , “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.'”
As Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples ahead of the places he intends to visit, he instructs them to take little with them as they proclaim the Kingdom of God. “I am sending you like lambs among wolves,” Jesus says. And to whatever house they enter, Jesus tells them to say, “Peace to this household.” In this, Jesus the Master teaches the disciples what he himself does. What does it mean to preach the Good News except to place trust in the Lord as you share with others the message of repentance and reconciliation? A welcoming reception, Jesus knew, is nothing he could guarantee the disciples. But he didn’t send them defenseless. God’s peace wished upon a household, today, as then, returns to the one who wishes the peace, regardless of its acceptance.
Father in heaven, help me understand the task of the disciples and my task in sharing your word and curing what ails others. Just as the disciples would face rejection, the reality is there for me as well. The potential for rejection among wolves hinders my ability to proclaim your word and wish peace to every house I enter. Yet, Jesus makes clear that I am to do that. And to the ones who accept peace, it will rest on them; to the ones who reject it, it will return to me—either way, that is your blessing. Lord, give me the grace to remain courageous and joyful in proclaiming your word, through Jesus Christ your Son.
From the responsorial psalm: “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul; The decree of the LORD is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.”
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.