14th Sunday of Ordinary Time-Cycle C-2016
FIRST READING Isaiah 66:10-14c
Thus says the LORD: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her! Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort. When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.
SECOND READING Galatians 6:14-18
Brothers and sisters: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.
GOSPEL Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others 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 seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name. Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, 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. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
Today the Lord invites us to follow Him and to preach His Good News to others. There is much joy in the readings today but also a sense of urgency and a bit of harshness. These readings reflect the reality of seeking to follow the Lord and be faithful to Him.
The first reading is from the Prophet Isaiah and is plucked out of a chapter which deals mostly with the harshness of living in exile, of returning to the Promised Land and of have to struggle to be faithful even though the people are back in the land promised to them. Most of this section of Isaiah is about hardship and yet once in a while we find intense joy, as in this image of God as a mother who nurtures her children. The author turns from the hardships which the people are living to point out that God really does care. How often we ourselves doubt the love of God or God’s care for us when we face hardship.
The second reading is from the Letter to the Galatians and tells us to rejoice in the Cross, to rejoice in the suffering that we must endure in order to follow the Lord. We can see how clearly this is a Christian interpretation of the same reality that their Jewish ancestors had suffered in exile. The challenge is for each one of us: when we suffer or are reviled or made fun of, we can identify with Christ or we can rebel and reject the sufferings. The teaching is clear: seek Jesus Himself and accept the sufferings as a way of unity and peace.
The Gospel of Luke today tells about the sending of the disciples. It is clear that Jesus expected His followers to experience welcome and also rejection. The disciples may well not be received with love and openness. They are simply to tell others that they will face a judgment for not receiving them. That is not easy! There is no argument, no meanness, just a statement of the truth.
For us today, the challenge is the same: Proclaim Jesus Christ! Proclaim Jesus in the way we live and in the way we deal with adversity, suffering and rejection. It is not easy to walk the way of the Lord, but it brings an incredible awareness of God’s love and God’s maternal care for us. We are sent by Jesus. Let us live in Jesus!
Your brother in the Lord,
Abbot Philip