Saint Luke
Lk 10:1-9
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. 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. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 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.
Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Sharing in the Harvest
The 72 whom Jesus sends out today have spent time with Jesus, and they seem to have picked up something of his Spirit.
It seems that part of sharing in Jesus’s Spirit is to begin to recognize the fruits of the Kingdom of God: peace and healing, and to bear witness to these. In fact, Jesus calls the 72 “harvesters.”
To harvest is to “gather.” Jesus gathers companions together around the Good News of the Kingdom and sends emissaries ahead to do the same.
Today, we too share in this harvest when we gather together to break open the Word of God and to share our stories. Here, the power of God is also seen and experienced, and our shared faith becomes real food and drink.
—Ryen Dwyer, SJ, is a Jesuit from the Midwest Province studying theology at Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California.
Prayer
Jesus, I ask to be close to you, so that I may learn from you and receive your Spirit ever more deeply. Let me join you in your mission of gathering, so that I may help prepare the way for your visitation. Amen
—Ryen Dwyer, SJ