Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: Luke 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,
“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 Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s Gospel presents a model for discipleship that our parish is learning how to follow, but there’s always more to be done.

Jesus appoints seventy-two disciples, in addition to the Twelve Apostles, and he sends them out to heal the sick, to cast out demons, even to raise people from the dead.

After they’re sent out, the disciples return. They gather with Jesus and with one another to pray, to “break bread,” and to share their experience in ministry. 

It’s this action of returning that is essential.

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So many of you go out on mission.

You’re sent to bring communion to the homebound; you visit the sick; you prepare food for the hungry; you teach in our faith formation program; you’re on staff, the parish pastoral or finance council; you’re involved in planning a variety of parish activities.

Like the disciples, you go out.

But now we must develop a culture of return.

Meaning, we return to pray for one another, to “break bread,” and to share our experience of working in the Lord’s vineyard.

We did this recently with members of our Outreach Ministry. We held a prayer service with Eucharistic Adoration, faith-sharing, and fellowship to follow. This is a practice that should continue for all ministries.

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The second-step is witnessing. This is how the Gospel message began spreading to the ends of the earth – and it’s how our parish will continue to grow.

I’m encouraging parishioners to speak about their experience in ministry at the conclusion of Sunday Mass. It should be “normal” to hear from our fellow workers in the vineyard. Faith sharing breaks down walls and inspires others to get involved.

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“The harvest is abundant,” Jesus says, “but the laborers are few.”

Two ways we will increase the number of laborers are to: develop a culture of “return” and to normalize faith sharing at Mass. So, if you were asked to speak about your ministry involvement and faith at Mass or in public, would you do it?

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Image credits: (1) CrossPointe Church, Tyler, TX (2) Your Daily Inspiration, Tumblr (3) St. John’s University

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Gospel: Luke 9: 57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Someone once said to me, “Father, you may be the only bible a person ever reads.”

People often learn about Christianity through its followers – the way we speak, the way we live, and the way we treat others.

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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, a man who lived his life by the bible he read.

Born into a wealthy Italian family in the 13^th century, Francis left everything behind in order to follow Jesus. 

Literally.

One sunny afternoon, in the middle of the public square, a teenage Francis stood before his bishop and declared his desire to spend his life in service of the Church. So, the bishop instructed Francis to renounce his father’s fortune and to promise obedience to him and the Church.

On the spot, Francis removed his clothing and placed all of his money on top.

Naked, he professed his faith – and lived it out for the rest of his life.

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On his deathbed, Saint Francis said to his followers, the first Franciscans, “My brothers, I have done what was mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”

While that looks differently for each of us, the call is the same: live out your faith, not only in word, but above all by action.

You may be the only bible a person ever reads.

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) Saint Francis, DeAgostini, Getty Images (3) Forget Him Knot

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Gospel: Luke 9:51-56

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Think about how people often deal with stress.

After a family argument, a long day of work, or a sudden disappointment, we can retire into ourselves, blocking out the world around us by watching endless hours of tv, scrolling through our phone, drinking, overeating, even lashing out at others who did nothing wrong!

Stress can be hard to manage – and it’s often the byproduct of living in such a hyper, results-oriented society.

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In today’s Gospel both Jesus and his disciples are stressed. But they deal with their stress in very different ways.

Luke tells us that Jesus is headed to Jerusalem – the place where he’ll be betrayed by Judas, arrested, and killed. So, he sends his disciples ahead of him to prepare the way.

To the disciples’ chagrin, they are not welcomed in the first town they enter, which not only means people rejected them; it also may mean a lost meal and the absence of a comfortable place to sleep that evening.

“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” James and John ask. That’s how they want to deal with their stress – turn those who rejected them into a crisp!

Jesus, on the other hand “rebukes” his disciples for their sinful anger and decides to journey to another village in peace. He will not return anger for anger or rejection for rejection.

When the evening comes to a close, something tells me Jesus deals with his stress – not only the hassle of being rejected that day, but also the knowledge of his impending death – by doing something we all should do.

He prayed to his Father.

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Prayer may not be our knee-jerk reaction to stress. But it allows God to calm our mind and heart in a way that television, social media, and overindulgence cannot.

“Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest.” So, when evening comes, how will we process the day?

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Image credits: (1) NeuronUP (2) A Clay Jar (3) America Magazine