October 18, 2017

Gospel: Lk 10:1-9
After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of him, to every town and place, where he himself was to go. And he said to them, ”The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.
Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!‘ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.
When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.‘

REFLECTION:
During harvest time, a sufficient number of laborers is needed to make the reaping faster and easier. There would be a delay if the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. This is also true with the missionary work of the Church. There are still a lot of people who haven‘t heard and known Christ, but only few people have the courage to dedicate their life for missionary work.
Our Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them ”two by two” because going out in pairs could serve as an avenue to manifest mutual support; to bear witness to the truth of their testimony; and to concretize the message of the gospel of peace.
As baptized Christians, we are called to be missionaries. If not by going to distant places, we can be missionaries in our own ways and in our own places by supporting the mission initiatives of the Church, by praying for all the missionaries, and by being witnesses of the gospel through our words and actions. Each of us could serve as instruments of both ”bringing Christ to others” and ”bringing others to Christ” in our own way. This would be easier if we perform our mission with another person or with the community itself.