Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Is 66:10-14c
Isaiah speaks metaphorically here to those returning from exile. They hear of the creation (birth without pain) of God’s children in a New Jerusalem. His oracle relates to a time of prosperity that comes about due to God’s love for those he has created. It is a calling home; a call to return to that place that gave them birth.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Psalm 66 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. In this passage we give thanks to God for his creation and join all the earth in its song of praise for the wondrous things God has accomplished.
Reading II Gal 6:14-18
St. Paul, in this selection, tells the Galatians that the Good News of Christ (and Him crucified) is for all people (“For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation”). He then tells his audience that not through the ancient marks of branding does he belong to Christ but through the marks of his persecution (from stonings and beatings).
Gospel Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 or 10:1-9
It is only in Luke’s Gospel that we find the sending of the 72. This event is supported in other non-biblical accounts of the period (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) - Church History). It is noteworthy that the instructions given to these disciples are very similar to those given to the twelve in Luke 22:35.
Homily:
This Gospel today tells us the story about the sending out of the “Seventy Two.” This passage from Luke’s Gospel brings to mind a story. The story is about a pretty ordinary man. To protect the innocent, let’s call him David Smith. David worked as a claims adjuster for the local branch of a company that sells all sorts of insurance. While he was a fairly spiritual person, we would not have thought of him as a “leader of the parish”. He came to Mass regularly and did his best to follow the moral teachings of the Church in his daily life.
This time of “ordinary life” went on for several years until, in a very short period of time (three weeks) two devastating events took place in his life. First, his younger sister, whom he loved intensely, died of cervical cancer (thank God it was a short fight) and next his best friend was killed in a car crash. This was especially hard since he found out about it when he was called to assess the car his friend was driving as part of his job. (Makes sense, his best friend would buy insurance from Dave’s company).
Dave was understandably very upset having lost two people he loved in such a short time. And, like so many of us, he turned more intensely to his faith. The day after the funeral of his best friend, Dave decided to hit Daily Mass on a regular basis to pray for his sister and friend. It made his grief at their loss feel somehow shared and it took the edge off his pain.
As he listened to the scripture during that first week he of his new faith effort, he began to hear a new message, as if for the first time in his life; even though he had heard these readings before (he’d even tried to read the whole bible cover to cover once. But it was hard going and he finally gave it up.). As he listened, he wondered, what if I took the message out to the world like the disciples. They were not all that special, fishermen, tax collectors; ordinary people, kind of like me. The more he thought about it, the more it tugged on him so, one day, as he was leaving Mass headed for work he decided he would give it a try for just one day. He would see if he could act like one sent by God to bring the Good News to others.
He immediately found out it would not be easy. He had no sooner walked into his office than a person called with an insurance claim that needed to be looked into. The person on the phone, Sam Wagoner (not his real name), was particularly nasty and insulting (clearly expecting to run into deep resistance from Dave who was, in his eyes, in a position to protect the insurance company’s money). Dave took a deep breath and, thinking of the Lord’s disciples who faced ridicule and even stonings, he put on the face of Christ and spoke words that were understanding and compassionate. (By the way, this was not part of the training manual he had received when he joined the company those many years ago). After a short time, being patient and not responding to the anger of the person, he agreed to come out that day and examine the claim.
When he arrived in the rather depressed neighborhood where the claimant lived, he began to understand why his customer had been abusive on the phone. This was an area that had seen hard times and the older residents who retained a foothold in their once pleasant community were frequently victims of scams and violence. Dave went to the door. He had already seen the vehicle parked in the driveway. Its driver’s side window was broken out and evidence the inept thieves had tried to “hot-wire” it were clear to his trained eye.
It was right on the borderline, this claim. Dave had two ways to go. He could deny the claim since the policy holders insurance did not cover vandalism, or he could grant it because it did cover damage as a result of theft. Two months ago Dave would have been ready to leave the area (having been given such a rough time on the first call) and phone the person back telling them that it was vandalism and they did not have coverage. This would have made Dave’s company very happy. But today, Dave was fortified with a different spirit.
The door was answered by older man, perhaps late 50’s or early 60’s. The fire that Dave had felt at the beginning of his phone call was back in Mr. Wagoner’s eyes. He stepped out on the porch and told Dave that at about 2:00 AM the night before he had heard the sound of glass breaking and run down stairs just in time to see a young man trying to steal his car. The young man had actually gotten the car started and it had moved a foot or two down the driveway and stalled.
Forgetting his anger for a moment, Sam chucked and said “You have to wait a couple of minutes with that car. Stalls every time if you try to just take off.” Then , rounding on Dave he said “What are you going to do about it.?”
Dave didn’t even bat an eyelash, “Why Mr. Wagoner, your car was stolen. This damage clearly occurred as part of that event. We should be able to take care of this right here if this is the same information on the police report.”
“It’s the same thing I told the police this morning.” Mr. Wagoner replied and then to Dave’s complete surprise, he began to cry. Not heaving sobs, just a tear that came unwillingly to Sam’s eye, quickly dashed away with an embarrassed forearm.
“I was sure you were going to tell me no” he said as if to explain the tear. “Nearly the same thing happened down the street not a week ago and Tony Balitelli got denied. He’s still taking the bus. If you had given me the same treatment, I would have lost my job for sure and I can’t afford that at my age. Thank God for you Mr. Smith.”
“Thank God, indeed Mr. Wagoner.” Dave said with a gentle smile and gave Sam a voucher to get the damage repaired and even threw in a free tow if it was needed. He continued to hold that vision of discipleship in his heart for a long time after that and while all of the outcomes were not as rewarding as his encounter with Sam Wagoner, his spirit was buoyed and he found peace in is life.
Perhaps I should just end here with; “They all lived happily ever after.” But this story is one person’s example of discipleship and how he listened to the Gospel message. We are challenged today to find our own response to the Lord’s call, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few”. Like the “Seventy Two, we are sent, we too are given the Spirit to make wonderful things happen in the name of Christ. What is our response?
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Seventy Disciples are Sent out Two by Two” by James Tissot, 1886-96
Readings for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Is 66:10-14c
Isaiah speaks metaphorically here to those returning from exile. They hear of the creation (birth without pain) of God’s children in a New Jerusalem. His oracle relates to a time of prosperity that comes about due to God’s love for those he has created. It is a calling home; a call to return to that place that gave them birth.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
Psalm 66 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. In this passage we give thanks to God for his creation and join all the earth in its song of praise for the wondrous things God has accomplished.
Reading II Gal 6:14-18
St. Paul, in this selection, tells the Galatians that the Good News of Christ (and Him crucified) is for all people (“For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation”). He then tells his audience that not through the ancient marks of branding does he belong to Christ but through the marks of his persecution (from stonings and beatings).
Gospel Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 or 10:1-9
It is only in Luke’s Gospel that we find the sending of the 72. This event is supported in other non-biblical accounts of the period (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) - Church History). It is noteworthy that the instructions given to these disciples are very similar to those given to the twelve in Luke 22:35.
Homily:
This Gospel today tells us the story about the sending out of the “Seventy Two.” This passage from Luke’s Gospel brings to mind a story. The story is about a pretty ordinary man. To protect the innocent, let’s call him David Smith. David worked as a claims adjuster for the local branch of a company that sells all sorts of insurance. While he was a fairly spiritual person, we would not have thought of him as a “leader of the parish”. He came to Mass regularly and did his best to follow the moral teachings of the Church in his daily life.
This time of “ordinary life” went on for several years until, in a very short period of time (three weeks) two devastating events took place in his life. First, his younger sister, whom he loved intensely, died of cervical cancer (thank God it was a short fight) and next his best friend was killed in a car crash. This was especially hard since he found out about it when he was called to assess the car his friend was driving as part of his job. (Makes sense, his best friend would buy insurance from Dave’s company).
Dave was understandably very upset having lost two people he loved in such a short time. And, like so many of us, he turned more intensely to his faith. The day after the funeral of his best friend, Dave decided to hit Daily Mass on a regular basis to pray for his sister and friend. It made his grief at their loss feel somehow shared and it took the edge off his pain.
As he listened to the scripture during that first week he of his new faith effort, he began to hear a new message, as if for the first time in his life; even though he had heard these readings before (he’d even tried to read the whole bible cover to cover once. But it was hard going and he finally gave it up.). As he listened, he wondered, what if I took the message out to the world like the disciples. They were not all that special, fishermen, tax collectors; ordinary people, kind of like me. The more he thought about it, the more it tugged on him so, one day, as he was leaving Mass headed for work he decided he would give it a try for just one day. He would see if he could act like one sent by God to bring the Good News to others.
He immediately found out it would not be easy. He had no sooner walked into his office than a person called with an insurance claim that needed to be looked into. The person on the phone, Sam Wagoner (not his real name), was particularly nasty and insulting (clearly expecting to run into deep resistance from Dave who was, in his eyes, in a position to protect the insurance company’s money). Dave took a deep breath and, thinking of the Lord’s disciples who faced ridicule and even stonings, he put on the face of Christ and spoke words that were understanding and compassionate. (By the way, this was not part of the training manual he had received when he joined the company those many years ago). After a short time, being patient and not responding to the anger of the person, he agreed to come out that day and examine the claim.
When he arrived in the rather depressed neighborhood where the claimant lived, he began to understand why his customer had been abusive on the phone. This was an area that had seen hard times and the older residents who retained a foothold in their once pleasant community were frequently victims of scams and violence. Dave went to the door. He had already seen the vehicle parked in the driveway. Its driver’s side window was broken out and evidence the inept thieves had tried to “hot-wire” it were clear to his trained eye.
It was right on the borderline, this claim. Dave had two ways to go. He could deny the claim since the policy holders insurance did not cover vandalism, or he could grant it because it did cover damage as a result of theft. Two months ago Dave would have been ready to leave the area (having been given such a rough time on the first call) and phone the person back telling them that it was vandalism and they did not have coverage. This would have made Dave’s company very happy. But today, Dave was fortified with a different spirit.
The door was answered by older man, perhaps late 50’s or early 60’s. The fire that Dave had felt at the beginning of his phone call was back in Mr. Wagoner’s eyes. He stepped out on the porch and told Dave that at about 2:00 AM the night before he had heard the sound of glass breaking and run down stairs just in time to see a young man trying to steal his car. The young man had actually gotten the car started and it had moved a foot or two down the driveway and stalled.
Forgetting his anger for a moment, Sam chucked and said “You have to wait a couple of minutes with that car. Stalls every time if you try to just take off.” Then , rounding on Dave he said “What are you going to do about it.?”
Dave didn’t even bat an eyelash, “Why Mr. Wagoner, your car was stolen. This damage clearly occurred as part of that event. We should be able to take care of this right here if this is the same information on the police report.”
“It’s the same thing I told the police this morning.” Mr. Wagoner replied and then to Dave’s complete surprise, he began to cry. Not heaving sobs, just a tear that came unwillingly to Sam’s eye, quickly dashed away with an embarrassed forearm.
“I was sure you were going to tell me no” he said as if to explain the tear. “Nearly the same thing happened down the street not a week ago and Tony Balitelli got denied. He’s still taking the bus. If you had given me the same treatment, I would have lost my job for sure and I can’t afford that at my age. Thank God for you Mr. Smith.”
“Thank God, indeed Mr. Wagoner.” Dave said with a gentle smile and gave Sam a voucher to get the damage repaired and even threw in a free tow if it was needed. He continued to hold that vision of discipleship in his heart for a long time after that and while all of the outcomes were not as rewarding as his encounter with Sam Wagoner, his spirit was buoyed and he found peace in is life.
Perhaps I should just end here with; “They all lived happily ever after.” But this story is one person’s example of discipleship and how he listened to the Gospel message. We are challenged today to find our own response to the Lord’s call, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few”. Like the “Seventy Two, we are sent, we too are given the Spirit to make wonderful things happen in the name of Christ. What is our response?
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is “The Seventy Disciples are Sent out Two by Two” by James Tissot, 1886-96
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