The Mission and return of the Seventy[-two]

Today's Reflections

 

                               

 

     

The Mission and return of the Seventy[-two] 

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Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

¹The Lord appointed seventy[-two] others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. ²He 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. ³Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. ⁴Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. ⁵Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ ⁶If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. ⁷Stay 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. ⁸Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, ⁹cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ ¹⁰Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ¹¹‘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. ¹²I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

¹⁷The seventy[-two] returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” ¹⁸Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. ¹⁹Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Reflection:

The Lord appointed seventy[-two] others. Jesus appoints and sends these 72 in pairs to every town and place he intends to visit. Jesus, the Messiah, is the Son of God. Yet he desires to have collaborators in his work. He has already chosen and formed a core group, the Twelve. Now he appoints more collaborators.

Jesus wishes that his work should also be our own. Thus he continues to call people today. Vatican II, Pope Paul VI, and the popes after him have been telling the Christians of today that each Christian is called to the apostolate. You and I, all of us, have the mandate, by virtue of our baptism and confirmation, to announce the coming of God’s kingdom and to make it arrive for people.

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” The first remedy is prayer—sincere prayer that the Lord may send more priests, more religious, and more lay apostles to help in the harvest, and that those called may respond generously to the call. And why should we not respond generously when it is the Lord who calls and asks us to undertake the most noble task of helping save people?

The 72 later return and rejoice that even the demons are subject to them because of Jesus’ name. Remember how the devil was no match for St. John Marie Vianney, the lowly but saintly parish priest of Ars in France. Satan will be no match for us who invoke the name of Jesus.

Those whom God calls,

God equips and empowers.