Gospel: Luke 10:1-9 (NRSV)
The Mission of the Seventy
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.
Reflection
A few weeks ago, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, which some consider the birth of the church. The apostles receive the Holy Spirit and then are sent out into the world. The word apostle originates from the Greek word apóstolos which means “one to be sent off.” Our gospel this weekend, amongst many things, invites us to reflect on what it means for us, as a people of God, to be sent out.
So, we may start with the simple question, am I being sent out? Is this gospel only meant for those missionaries and so I need not concern myself with this passage? I would like to suggest that all people are called to be sent out. Each one of us has a unique personhood, purpose and calling to which we are sent out to live in a way that opens the possibility to be more Christ like. So, the very fact that you are reading this suggests that includes you.
In sending out the 72, Jesus instructs them to carry no money, no sack or sandals – fortunately iPhones are not mentioned!
Jesus even says, “do no greet anyone along the way.” Is this really something Jesus would say? As always, we need to understand the bigger frame which holds all this together.
It would be fair to assume that in our daily lives we carry a lot, some of which we are aware of and other things not so much. We carry our self-worth through the things we have and cannot have. We carry the images we hold of ourselves and the perceptions we want to maintain. We carry our thoughts which can repeat over and over in our head.
We carry the burdens of work, family, relationships, career, study and health. Going further, we carry our current fears or suffering from the past into our daily lives, which find their ways in the decisions we make, the way we interact with others and in particular, our very self. No doubt there are times where the wolves appear in our thoughts that suggest we are not carry these things on our own.
How often do we find ourselves surrounded by people but still feel isolated or unable to share what is really happening within. Where do we find a safe space where we can take the sandals off our feet allowing us to connect to the source of life?
Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent the 72 in pairs. Here we recognise the need to walk with each other, accompanying one another. This is the very nature of being a people sent out by God to accompany and nourish God’s people. At times we need nourishing and at other times we provide it.
As I write this, I hope for a Church that is able to provide such a space. A church that accompanies, that does not judge, that listens, that restores, that provides healing, that helps the other take their sack and sandals off to lighten their burdens.
Is this not an image of the synodal church the late Pope Francis calls us to be? Each one of us is that church, a people who recognise the gift of being invited into the home of another, where food and conversation is shared and a peace is born anew.
Is our home open to receive this peace or do we live in a state where we are preoccupied with our lives that we miss the invitation. If our hearts are not open, what is it that causes it to be closed to the peace that God gives? It is here we can see the work of the harvest and the labourer. This kind of work which transforms us is hard. It requires a new way of seeing, an openness to new horizons, ones that bring life, that allow the kingdom of God to be made present.
Each time we hold onto anger, resentment, judgment, fear or whatever else that denies our inner peace, we give back the peace that is offered us. The good news is that if we are honest, we will recognise this in the way we move from house to house. That is, the way in which we draw on the things that hide or numb our pain, even if they are disguised as things that appear life giving. And it is the Holy Spirit which allows us to be awakened to such dispositions.
Over the past month I had visited a patient in ICU who has now passed away. With each visit, although on machines, he recognised my presence by the movement of his mouth.
As I met the family on the final visit I learned more of this man who had many worldly possessions but had been generous in how he used them.
And here he was in ICU, no sack or sandals over these past few weeks, just acceptance and presence, and in so doing Gods’ peace rested on him.
Catholic chaplain, Richard Korkor. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
Richard Korkor is a lay Catholic chaplain serving in the Diocese of Parramatta. Through his work with Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, the Diocese’s social services agency, Richard offers compassionate care and spiritual support to those in the hospital and prison system – including inmates, staff, and their families. His ministry brings hope and an encounter with Christ to those who need it most. Read more about Richard’s work in Catholic Outlook.
Learn more about Catholic Care’s prison and hospital chaplaincy services.
