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| “St Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata “ by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1635 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Job 19:21-27
Commentary on Jb 19:21-27
These familiar verses (“I know that my vindicator (redeemer) lives…”) are taken from Job’s fifth response. Job is now utterly deserted. His family, neighbors, and even (apparently) God has deserted him. Yet, in a leap of faith, he expresses hope in the vision of God who will vindicate him and confidence that he will one day meet him, face to face. It is this salvation and consolation that Job desires above all else.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Commentary on Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
Psalm 27 is an individual lament. In this selection from it, we hear the psalmist asking for God to reveal himself to his faithful. He calls to the Lord, imploring him to hear the desperate prayer. The psalmist expresses faith in God who is the refuge of the faithful, longing to find the ultimate safety and bounty of God’s heavenly kingdom. In the final strophe the singer expresses faith and hope that God will reveal himself in the end and for all time.
CCC: Ps 27:8 2730
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Gospel: Luke 10:1-12
Commentary on Lk 10:1-12
It is only in the Gospel of St. Luke that we hear the story of Jesus sending the seventy (two). This event is supported by other non-biblical writings (see Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-c. 340) Church History, Vol. 1). The instructions given to those sent out are very similar to the instructions given to the Twelve (Matthew 10:5-16; Luke 9:1-6), as was the message they were sent to proclaim.
This selection emphasizes Jesus' early struggle to accomplish what he came to do by himself. We sense the humanness as he says; "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few." We also find this event and statement in St. Matthew’s Gospel where instead of the 72 he names the 12 (Matthew 10:1-8). While in St. Matthew’s story Jesus sends them first to the Hebrew people, St. Luke makes no such distinction.
This effort by Jesus was modeled on Moses’ leadership structure in which 70 elders were appointed (Numbers 11:24-25). It is also possible that the reference number 70 relates to the number of nations mentioned in Genesis 10. The disciples were sent two by two, a custom that would be replicated later in the post-resurrection missionary activities of the Church (see Acts 8:14; 15:39-40).
In another historical similarity, the disciples were sent without possessions, presumably depending upon the traditionally required hospitality for their support. Similar instructions were given by the Prophet Elisha as he sent his servant in 2 Kings 4:29.
The Lord’s instructions concerning this hospitality “the laborer deserves his payment” is also quoted in St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 5:18b) and has further support in 1 Corinthians 9:7, 14. Those who labor on behalf of the Gospel and cannot take time to support themselves deserve the support of the community. In a final twist, the Lord’s instruction to “eat what is set before you” sets aside Mosaic dietary laws (also 1 Corinthians 10:27 and Acts 10:25). It is a clear indication that the scope of their mission is to call all peoples to the Gospel.
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Reflection:
Standing up for Gospel principles has never been easy. Those of us who believe that, because this is a civilized world, it is getting easier, are in for a rude awakening the first time we challenge the social status quo. Try taking the high moral ground at work when the discussions get a bit “off color” and sexual innuendo starts to fly. You will find yourself like the bad comedian who lays an egg on stage and hears crickets chirping. In countries of the Middle East, proclaiming the Gospel can get you killed; our own troops, there to defend the lives of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, are not allowed to mention their faith outside the compounds that house them.
The Lord tells the seventy-two that he is sending them “like lambs among wolves.” That descriptor evoked an attitude as well as a message. The message the Lord sent, and is sending, is one of love for God and love of one another. That message is not welcomed by those who seek power over others, who are focused only on their own hedonistic pleasures. They find such talk threatening to their life styles and critical of their behaviors (at least we hope so).
They will not thank us for our message, conveyed in word and actions. On the contrary they will, at best, shun us or at worst seek to do us harm: remove the irritant. Our response to this treatment is to love them! Like little children (thank you St. Thèrése) we are called to reach out to them asking they why they cannot see the love God wants to share with them. As vulnerable and powerless apostles we offer the greatest prize imaginable. And when it is rejected, we offer it again.
Ah, the Lord did not give us an easy mission. He calls us to be a light to the world and a beacon of hope. We pray today for the strength to accept the small measure of pain he endured for us so that we might continue the work he sends us to do.
Pax
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