14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
Luke 10: 1-12.17-20
This Sunday’s Readings
First Reading
Isaiah 66:10-14c
I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 123:1-4
Our eyes are fixed on the Lord.
Second Reading
Galatians 6:14-18
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Reading
Luke 10:1-12,17-20
Jesus sends out 72 people to announce the coming kingdom.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today’s Gospel begins immediately after the final verse in last Sunday’s Gospel. After strong language about the difficulties of discipleship, Jesus immediately appoints 72 people to go ahead of him to every town and place he plans to visit, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. He sends them in pairs. In the Law of Moses two witnesses were needed for a testimony to be credible. It was probably also a safer way to travel.
Jesus admits it will be difficult, that he is sending them out like lambs among wolves. Yet they are to bring nothing with them, not even a money bag or sandals. They are to greet no one on the way so as not to be distracted from their mission. When they enter a house, their message is simply “peace.” The response they will receive may be positive or negative. Either way, they are to know that the Kingdom of God is at hand. They are not to demand special treatment but eat and drink whatever is given them. They are to stay in one house and are not to look around for one that provides better accommodations. They are to heal the sick as a sign that the Kingdom of God is at hand for them. Like Jesus’ miracles, healing is a sign of the coming of the kingdom. If the town will not receive them, they are to shake the dust from their feet and move on. Even in the case of such rejection they should know that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
When they return from their journeys, they are rejoicing because their mission has been successful. Demons were under their power because of Jesus’ name. Jesus may have sent them out as lambs among wolves, but at the conclusion of this passage he assures them that they have been given power over the enemy and nothing will harm them, not even serpents and scorpions.
A key theme of today’s Gospel and last Sunday’s Gospel is discipleship—its challenges, its difficulties, and its rewards. Sharing in the mission of Jesus is difficult, but everyone is called to do it, not just some professionals trained for ministry. Even for us today, the harvest is plentiful. We should pray to the master of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest.
I come to offer you Peace
Fernando Armellini
“The Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them two and two ahead of him to every town and places where he himself was to go” (v. 1). Today’s Gospel thus begins. This information is rather surprising because, earlier, Jesus had already sent the twelve disciples to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick, urging them not to take anything with them, “neither staff, nor bag, no bread, no money, and don’t even take a spare tunic … “ (Lk 9:1-6). Who are these seventy-two that appear suddenly and will no longer be remembered later? Theirs is a strange mission also because it is hard to imagine Jesus going after as many as 36 pairs responsible to prepare the ground for him.
It is the story of an apostolic initiative undertaken by Jesus and reinterpreted by the evangelist as a catechesis he intends to give to his community.
We are in Asia Minor in the second half of the first century. Despite difficulties and persecution, Christians continue to engage themselves in the announcement of the Gospel. However, there were many questions that arise: Does God reveal his Gospelthrough visions, dreams, and apparitions or is there a need for someone to proclaim it? Is the message of salvation for all, or is it reserved for a privileged few? What methods do we use to convince people to accept it? How to present ourselves to people and what have we to tell them? Are words enough or are signs necessary? What to do if we are refused? Will our work be crowned with success?
To these questions, Luke responds by narrating the sending of disciples on a mission. He is not giving a chronicler’s report, but a theological text in which literary devices are used.
The number seventy-two is certainly symbolic. Referring to the list that is found in Genesis 10, the ancients had established that the peoples of the world were seventy or seventy-two. On the Feast of Tabernacles, seventy bulls were sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem to implore God for the conversion of each of the pagan nations.
In the communities of Luke, Christians of pagan origin need to overcome the inferiority complex that some felt towards the children of Abraham, to end all forms of discriminations they themselves introduce according to ethnic origin, cultural traditions, social position, temperament, character, customs, the lifestyle of everyone.
Saying that Jesus sent seventy-two disciples (v. 1), the evangelist wants to say that salvation is not a privilege reserved for just some, but is for all, without exception.
The messengers are sent in pairs. This indicates that the Gospel is not left to the inventiveness of the individual, but is the work of a community. Who speaks in the name of Christ does not act independently, he or she is in communion with the brothers and sisters in the faith. The first missionaries—Peter and John (Acts 8:14), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1)—did not only go two by two, but they were also “sent” and felt to represent their community.
The purpose of the missioning: to prepare the city and the villages for the coming of the Lord. Jesus arrives after his messengers, not before. The task given to each apostle is not to represent himself, but to dispose the minds and hearts of the people to accept Christ in their lives.
To fulfill this mission, the disciple must prepare himself. Jesus suggests the way to do it: “Pray the Lord of the harvest” (v. 2).
Prayer is not intended to persuade God to send laborers into His harvest (this obviously would not make sense) but is intended to transform the disciple into an apostle. It gives him balance, good disposition, inner peace; frees him from pride, presumption. It enables him to overcome opposition, disappointments, and failures; it reveals to him, moment by moment, the will of the “Lord of the harvest.”
The wolf is a symbol of violence, arrogance. The lamb indicates gentleness, weakness, and frailty. It can escape from the aggression of the wolf only if the minister intervenes in its defense.
The rabbis said that the people of Israel were a lamb surrounded by seventy wolves (the Gentiles) who wanted to devour it. Jesus applies this comparison to his disciples: he says that they have to behave like lambs (v. 3). It is, therefore, necessary that they be vigilant so that the feelings of wolves may not arise in their hearts: anger, greed, and resentment, the desire to dominate and bully. These feelings lead in fact to the actions of the wolves: the abuse of power, aggression, violence, insults, and lies. The history of the Church confirms that, when Christians are transformed into wolves, they have always failed their mission.
Briefly, “behaving like wolves” can give results, but it is a fleeting success. Jesus saved the world by behaving like sheep, not a wolf. The choice of means for the mission is in keeping with the image of the weak and helpless lamb (v. 4). Jesus states them in a negative way: no purse, no bag, no sandals.
To impose itself, a political movement or ideology needs effective tools: money, weapons, and support of influential people. The apostle must resist the temptation to resort to such means to spread the Gospel and to build the Kingdom of God. The Church loses credibility when she wants to compete with the political and economic powers. One who cannot give up these human securities, who has not the courage to put his trust only in the power of the Word that he announces and in the protection of the Shepherd, will not be recognized as a witness of the Kingdom, composed only of “lambs.”
Along the way, the disciples must not greet anyone (v. 4). This is not, obviously, a provision to be taken literally, but of an indication that underlines the urgency of the mission.
When one thinks that the right time to speak of Christ has arrived, from where one must start? The messages that non-believers seem to have better understood from Christians are those relating to certain moral demands: inadmissibility of divorce, obligation to attend Mass on holy days of obligation, respect and submission to the hierarchy of the Church, God’s punishments for those who do not observe the Commandments … Must the conversation start from these issues? Not at all!
The Gospel is good news. Here are the words with which the disciple presents himself: I have come to announce peace; bringing peace to you, to your family, to your home (v. 5). This is a proclamation that gives comfort, inspires awe, hope, and joy! If among the listeners there will be a “man of peace,” if there is someone willing to open his heart to Christ, peace, and the fullness of life and good will come down on him (v. 6).
To express his gratitude, one who has heard the announcement could invite the missionary in his home and offer him his bread (v. 7). The apostle—Jesus recommends—accepts the invitation, does not broach his claims, is content with frugal food that is set before him and adapts himself to the traditions and customs of your host, without looking askance at his habits and traditions; not afraid of being contaminated because of the food, because no food and no creature is impure (v. 8). This statement was of great interest in Luke’s time when many were hesitant to share meals with the Gentiles (Gal 2:11-14; Acts 11:2-3; 1 Cor 10:27).
In what does the work of evangelization consist? Is the announcement sufficient or must this be confirmed by signs? The words—says Jesus—must be accompanied by concrete gestures of charity: care for the sick, assistance to the poor (v. 9). Where no change is noticed, any change in the condition of people and society, the Kingdom of God has not yet come.
The Gospel can be welcomed, but also refused. How to behave oneself in dealing with the opposition? Jesus clarifies thus: the missionaries are to go to the public square and in front of all the people, shake the dust from their feet. Sodom and Gomorrah will be treated with less severity than that city (vv. 10-12).
These are hard words to understand and even more to accept. Taken literally they contradict the rest of the Gospel. Just think of the reaction of Jesus towards James and John who wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans (Lk 9:55).
God does not get angry, seek revenge, or punish whoever does not accept his Word. He is only goodness and mercy and loves always. Jesus uses here the language and imagery of his people. He speaks of God’s punishment to show the disastrous consequences the rejection of the Gospel entails. Who does not accept his word becomes responsible for his own unhappiness; he is devoid of peace. It is meaningful that the threatening scene of the judgment pronounced by the missionaries over the city ends in every case with a word of salvation: “Know that the Kingdom of God has come to you.”
Having fulfilled their mission, the seventy-two return with joy and refer to Jesus the results. He responds: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (v. 18). When the Bible speaks of Satan it does not mean the despicable and ugly being that is still portrayed in some paintings. It refers to the forces of evil: hatred, violence, injustice, pride, love of money, the unruly passions … .
Saying that Satan fell from heaven, Jesus proclaims the unstoppable victory of good. With the proclamation of the Gospel, the kingdom of evil began to collapse. Then he continues: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy so that nothing will harm you” (v. 19). Here is another biblical image. Like Satan, the serpent and the scorpion are symbols of evil (cf. Gen 3:15; Ps 91:13). Jesus does not promise that his envoys will not encounter oppositions and difficulty. There will be dangerous animals, but they will be “trampled” by the disciple.
The Master’s words suggest the idea of an easy, amazing victory (like lightning); they seem to reduce the long march that leads humanity to the kingdom of God to a comfortable stroll. The reality—we experience it every day—is not so simple nor so cheerful.
Evil reacts in a tough and violent way. It’s enough to think how much it costs, for example, winning a vice, overcoming a bad habit and how the smart, the powerful and the corrupt ones continue to triumph in the world. But Jesus, looking at the end result, notes that evil has already lost its force. These words echo a conviction of pessimism, a denial of who does nothing but complain and dejectedly repeats that the world is getting worse.
Whoever has put his trust in Christ and in his Word has his name written in heaven, that is, has become part of the Kingdom of God (v. 20). This is the reason for the joy he feels and announces to everyone. Although realistically he admits that the successes are limited and difficult and that the road is still long, he rejoices because he already foresees the goal.
Fernando Armellini
Italian missionary and biblical scholar
https://sundaycommentaries.wordpress.com
Two by two
Pope Francis
In the Gospel of this Sunday’s liturgy, we read that “the Lord appointed seventy-two [disciples], and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come” (cf. Lk 10:1). The disciples were sent two by two, not individually. To go on a mission two by two, from a practical point of view, would seem to bring more disadvantages than advantages. There is the risk that the two would not get along, that they would go at different paces, that one would get tired or sick along the way, forcing the other to stop. When one is alone, on the other hand, it seems the journey would become swifter and smoother. However, Jesus does not think like this: he does not send people out alone before him, but disciples who go two by two. Let us ask ourselves a question: what is the reason for this choice of the Lord?
It was the disciples’ task to go ahead into the villages to prepare the people to receive Jesus; and the instructions he gives them are not so much about what they should say, but how they should be : that is, not on the “phrasebook” of what they should say, no; on the witness of life, the witness to give rather than the words to say. Indeed, he defines them as workers : in other words, they are called to work, to evangelise through their behaviour. And the first practical action with which the disciples carry out their mission is precisely that of going two by two. The disciples are not “free agents”, preachers who do not know how to yield the word to another. It is primarily the very life of the disciples that announces the Gospel: their knowing how to be together, their mutual respect, their not wanting to prove that they are more capable than the other, their concordant reference to the one Master.
Perfect pastoral plans can be drawn up, and well-designed projects implemented, organised down to the last detail; one can summon crowds and have many means; but if there is no openness to fraternity, the evangelical mission cannot advance. Once, a missionary recounted how he left for Africa with a confrère. However, after some time he separated from him, stopping in a village where he successfully implemented a series of building projects for the good of the community. Everything was working well. But one day he had a jolt: he realised that his life was that of a good entrepreneur, always in the midst of building sites and paperwork! But… and that “but” remained there. So, he left the management to others, to the laypeople, and joined his confrère. He thus understood why the Lord had sent the disciples “two by two”: the evangelising mission is not based on personal activism, that is, on “doing”, but on the witness of brotherly love, even amid the difficulties that living together entails.
So, we might wonder: how do we take the good news of the Gospel to others? Do we do so with a fraternal spirit and style, or in the manner of the world, with self-promotion, competitiveness and efficiency? Let us ask ourselves whether we have the capacity to collaborate; whether we know how to make decisions together, sincerely respecting those who are alongside us and taking into account their point of view; whether we do so in community, not by ourselves. Indeed, it is above all in this way that the life of the disciple allows that of the Master to shine through, truly announcing it to others.
May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, teach us to prepare the way for the Lord with the witness of fraternity.
Angelus 3th July 2022
The ‘enrolment document’ for a mission without frontiers
Romeo Ballan, mccj
Jesus is on a journey: he resolutely takes the road for Jerusalem (Lk 9:51 – Gospel of last Sunday). It is a missionary and community journey for the disciples who were given specific commands by Jesus about how they should carry out the mission. Just a little earlier Jesus had sent out the Twelve Apostles (Lk 9:1-6) on their journey to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Later on, Luke (Gospel) tells of the mission of the 72 disciples: “The Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit” (v. 1). The ‘enrolment document’ and the instructions for the two missionary groups – the 12 apostles and the 72 disciples – are practically the same. The repetition underlines the importance of their mission.
Who were those 72 disciples? The 72 (or 70 according to some texts) is a symbolic number and represents the number of peoples of the earth, according to the ‘table of nations’ (in the book of Gn 10:1-32)). Additionally, 72 is a multiple of 12, so that it stands to indicate the totality of God’s people. Mission, then, is not simply the duty of some (namely the 12), but the work also of lay people, that is, work of the community. In these numbers we see a message of universality of mission.
The instructions are important, in the nature of the new mission that Jesus has launched. His instructions are applícable for all time.
– The Gospel says: “Jesus sent them out” (v. 1): the initial call and the sending out belong to God, the master of the harvest; the readiness to answer belongs to the disciples.
– Jesus sent them “in pairs”: in small groups; it is necessary to be in communion with at least one other person in order to be a credible witness. The proclamation of the Gospel is not left to solitary inventiveness, but it is the work of a community of believers: even if thie community is really small, as in the case of parents, the first educators in the faith of their children. The commitment to announce the Gospel together with others is not just a question of greater effectiveness, but the fact that, doing it together, expresses communion and is a guarantee of the Lord’s presence, as Jesus said: “For where two or three are present, I shall be there with them” (Mt 18:20).
– Jesus sent them out “ahead of Him”…: they are bearers of Someone else’s message; they are not the owners or the protagonists, they are the forerunners of Someone who is more important, who will come later, for whose coming they must prepare the minds and hearts of the recipients, who are all over the face of the earth.
– “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few” (v. 2). Today’s situation is the same as it was yesterday; nothing has changed. The challenges of mission will díffer according to the time and the place, but they are equally demanding. Today, the same solutions Jesus was proposing are still valid.
– “Ask the Lord… start off …” (v. 2-3): The solution that Jesus offers is twofold: “Ask the Lord… and start off …” (v. 2-3). To ask: so that we may live the mission in harmony with the Lord of the harvest, because mission is grace to be implored for ourselves and for others. And to start off: because for every vocation, it is the Lord who loves, calls and sends off. “To ask and to start off”: two essential moments of mission.
– The message to proclaim is twofold: the gift of peace (the Shalom) in its most inclusive biblical sense, for individuals and families (v. 5); and the message that “the Kingdom of God is very near you” (v. 9.11). The Kingdom of God is being made and develops in history. The Kingdom is first of all a person: Jesus, the fullness of the Kingdom. Those who welcome Him find life, joy and mission, and announce Him to the entire human family.
– The mission style of Christ and of his disciples is the opposite of the rulers of the day or of multinational companies. Mission is not based on the resolve to rule, on imposition, on arrogance and greed (things of wolves: v. 3, as Jesus says), but mission is based on a proposal that is humble, respectful, free of worldly security (purse, sandals, v. 4); it is curing the sick (v. 9), it is offered freely, without looking for a reward (v. 20).
– The Gospel of Jesus is a message of true life, because it invites us to trust only in God, who is the Father and Mother (1st Reading); and to trust in Christ crucified and risen for the salvation of all (2nd Reading).
– The labourers are few, poor and feeble, facing a vast world; Paul finds strength only in the cross of Christ (v. 14)… Because the Kingdom belongs to God, Mission is His.
