Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Commissioned by Jesus
by Rev. Robert Wagner
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington Catholic
Herald"
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Written to explain that
Christ came to save everyone.
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 rejoining, 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."
Most
of us are aware that Jesus sent His Twelve Apostles out to preach the Good News
in the towns and villages of Galilee. We also know that the Apostles were the
first priests of the church, those anointed by Christ to stand in His place,
through whom He makes Himself sacramentally present to the world. In light of
this understanding, it makes sense that these 12 men are sent out as priests to
preach, heal, and cast out demons. This is the ministry of the priest. It is his
vocation.
Jesus
said, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of
the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” We use this passage as a call
for the church to pray for an increase of priests, men who are laborers in the
world to bring Christ to His church. It is a noble and necessary practice that
we ask the Lord to grant those men He calls to the priesthood the grace to
answer with generosity, that we as a church may continue to bear the fruit of
sanctification and good works through their ministry.
We
should note, however, that in this Sunday’s Gospel from Saint Luke, Jesus sent
out more than the Twelve Apostles. Instead, He sent 72 of His disciples with the
commission to tell the men and women of the towns and villages that “The kingdom
of God is at hand for you!” This group of 72 included those who were not
Apostles, and thus those who may not have had the same intimate relationship
with Jesus that His Apostles enjoyed. While we may be tempted to think they were
under equipped for such a mission — especially after the Lord tells them they
can take practically nothing on their journey — we hear they were wildly
successful. “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name,” they
said upon their return, seemingly astounded that God would work through even
them in such a powerful way.
Too
often, we as a church are tempted to think the work of spreading the Gospel and
preparing people to encounter Jesus is solely the duty of clergy and consecrated
religious. Yes, ministry to the people of God is the vocation of the priest, but
he cannot do it alone. The Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People, promulgated
during the Second Vatican Council, says, “Since the laity, in accordance with
their state of life, live in the midst of the world and its concerns, they are
called by God to exercise their apostolate in the world like leaven, with the
ardor of the spirit of Christ” (“Apostolicam Actuositatem,” 2).
On
a practical level, the work of most priests is limited to the boundaries of
their parishes. Also, their encounters are primarily with those who already
practice the Catholic faith. In comparison, the men and women of their parishes
regularly interact with people of many creeds and backgrounds through their
work, their social circles, and their activities away from home. Therefore, in a
parish, opportunities for evangelizing those who do not know about the Catholic
faith are most often greater for most laity than for priests.
Of
course, we may have concerns regarding how to evangelize, particularly in a
culture that is often hostile to the faith. First, we must realize that
hostility is not a new phenomenon. Jesus tells the 72, “I am sending you like
lambs among wolves.” Second, every encounter of evangelization does not have to
involve us shouting, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” More often, the best way
to evangelize is to live a life of virtue, that is, to be a man or woman of
mercy and justice in all things great and small. In this sense, evangelization
means being a person of integrity, so that others may experience the beauty of
what the Catholic faith looks like in action. Then, when the goodness of our
lives inevitably attracts questions as to the source of our goodness, peace and
joy, we can share the message of Jesus Christ and our salvation through His
church.
Like
the 72 disciples sent out in this Sunday’s Gospel, each one of us within the
church is called to spread the Gospel of the Lord and prepare others to meet
Him. No matter what our vocation may be, let us go out into the “harvest field”
of the world with confidence, trusting that the One who sends us forth
strengthens us with His grace and His Spirit.
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