Gospel

Luke 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples

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.”

Reflection

It’s clear that Jesus longed for his message to be given to other people. And what we hear in this reading is a beautiful way in which that happens, by being in a peaceful, loving relationship with people and spending time with them. And the beauty that stands out for me is this one line where he says, all right, and cure the sick in this house that you're staying in, and then the kingdom of God is at hand for you.

The Kingdom of God is about a relationship we have with each other, where there is a healing element to everything. That we’re lifting from them burdens awakening them to a freedom that the spirit offers.

Take a few moments to reflect upon these thoughts and I will close with the prayer.

Closing Prayer

Father, we so often rely too much on our own gifts, our own talent. Though that's all important. But the intention of our heart is most essential, and the intention is not just to give someone information, but to want them to be healed of whatever it is that blocks them from the goodness and the beauty that you are to each of us. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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