In today's gospel reading we hear of Jesus sending out the 72 disciples to share the good news of God's love and salvation. Jesus gives some pretty challenging instructions: "Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. " (Luke 10:4) This challenges the disciples to have complete trust that God will take care of them during their travels in spreading and sharing the Good News.
What challenges do we have in sharing the Good News of the Gospel? We, like the disciples in today's Gospel, are commissioned to bring the Good News to those in our lives. We are to bring the love of God to those in our families and those we work with. There will be people that will be open to the Good News of God's love for them. And then there are those who reject this message. In either event, be joyful in those that accept God into their lives, and pray for those who may reject God for whatever reasons they may have. Trust that God will work through all we do to share His love with others.
Let us, with St. Paul, say "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Galatians 6:14).
St. Francis of Assisi, when he asked the LORD for guidance for his rule based on living the Gospel, opened the Book of the Gospels to this very passage. I am relieved that God called me into the Secular Franciscans & not the first order Francis founded since I am someone who carries EVERYTHING: things I think I need & provisions my traveling companions might need. Although I would find it difficult to travel with such radical trust & would prefer to be an instrument of God's provision I know that I am called to live & proclaim the Gospel in my everyday life. So I wear my Tau cross every day, seek to demonstrate God's love to the people I encounter & seek always to be ready to point to JESUS CHRIST as the reason for my hope & the way I treat people, & I also hope I draw people closer to the LORD in my ministries as lector, EM & singing in the choir. Of course, I'm human & not perfect. But I keep trying.
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