Two by Two

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples to go ahead of him. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.” (Lk 10:2). There is much work to be done. Jesus wants to utilize the disciples he has already accumulated and send them forth with his message of love and mercy. Even today we see, after over two-thousand years, there is still work to be done. The way we are evangelizing needs to be constantly evaluated and updated for the culture changes, the people change, but the message is the same. The things that the people in the time of the Gospel were talking about politically, socially, economically, are all different. What has stayed the same through the test of time is the message of Jesus Christ; his love and mercy, his understanding of the law, and the graces that he has bestowed and continues to bestow on all those who follow him. The message that the disciples are being sent with is that of community, conversation, and help. There is nothing flashy about the disciples that are being sent into the foreign towns; they carry nothing with them, just their clothes. They are not expected to stay for a certain duration, only for however long the people they are with want them. The Gospel is simple, yet we have complicated it so much, and because of this we have become divided. Let us think of how we can return to the simplicity of the love of Jesus, to show the same love and mercy that he showed all, and in doing so, taking away the unnecessary complications we create ourselves.

Reflection: How am I complicating my own spiritual life with unnecessary things?

Lord God, thank you for today and everyday. Thank you for your love and mercy. Please Lord, help me to understand the simple tone of your love, assist me in understanding how I can see every one I meet as my neighbor and offer sacrifice for them. Send forth your Spirit Lord that I might have an open heart to you and to all. I pray, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

Resource: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101818.cfm