Psalm 66
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12.17-20
YOU ARE A MESSENGER OF CHRIST
There is always the need to preach the Good News to all people. This need is more urgent today than ever. The first reading exhorts us to rejoice and be glad. This joy is focused around Jerusalem, the City of God. Here God speaks like a mother. He promises unfailing love, care, consolation, restoration and renewal to his people. In the second reading, St Paul expresses his joy to have a share in the suffering of Christ. He ends his letter with words of blessing and invokes the peace and mercy of the Lord upon those who embrace the new creation brought about through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the gospel, Jesus commissions seventy-two messengers to go ahead of him proclaiming the Good News. Jesus realizes that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. There is therefore the need to pray the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers into his vineyard. Unfortunately, upon hearing these words, we usually think of priests and religious as the sole missionaries and evangelizers. But each Christian is a Christ-bearer, a missionary by virtue of his baptism.
Consequently, unless we too bring the message of peace and joy to others, we are not worthy of our baptism, which becomes an empty ritual like circumcision. At the end of each Mass, we are told: “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” It is a sending forth, a mission we receive. Thus our mission is to share with others what we have received from the Lord. At each Mass we are comforted and renewed by being fed from the Word and Eucharist as from the breasts of a mother. As such, we must fill the hearts of others with this joy and peace. We must gladden and console all we meet.
May the Lord help us to become trustworthy messengers so as to change the world. Amen
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