Those whom Jesus calls to follow him are then always sent on mission.

 
Reading: After this the Lord appointed seventy-two] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Luke 10:1-2.
 
Good morning, happy Monday, and many blessings my dear family.
 
Today the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Luke, one of the four evangelists. In the Gospel (Luke 10:1-9) Jesus sends 72 of his disciples out into the towns and villages that he intended to visit. These 72 disciples were to inform the people that he was coming. They were to prepare the way for him.

Those whom Jesus calls to follow him are then always sent on mission: the disciple is also an apostle. Jesus sends the 72 disciples to the villages and towns he intends to visit, to prepare the way before him. Their only resource is being sent by him, and not their material possessions. The mission and the powers are the same as Jesus’, curing the sick and preaching the same urgent message: The kingdom of God is very near to you. He is very clear to them: I am sending you like sheep among wolves, yet their message is always one of Peace. I ask not to be deaf to the call of Jesus, trusting in his mission and bringing peace to wherever I am.
 
Jesus then gives the disciples instructions for this journey. He tells his disciples to pack lightly for the journey. They should not take any money, luggage or sandals. Now ask yourself: can you imagine leaving on a trip without any money or credit cards? Jesus tells them they are to trust that God will provide for them.

There is a tendency in life for many to take what they might need on a journey to cover many eventualities that could arise. Jesus sent out his disciples with the bare essentials from that point of view. The main factor was the Good news of the kingdom that they brought and the gift of healing. Lord give us the freedom to go out trusting you to provide what is needed for your ongoing mission.
 
I wonder how the disciples reacted to Jesus’ statement! Ask yourself: if you were sent on a journey and you were told to take nothing with you except the clothes on your back, how would you react? Personally, I would be tempted to pack a “little” bag just in case I needed something!

Today Jesus is sending us forth to preach the “Good News.” He gives us the same instructions that he gave the Apostles: “take nothing with you.” All we are to take with us is the “Good News” of Jesus! What is the “good news of Jesus” that you want to share today?
 
Blessings,
 
Fr. Luis+