Chúa Giêsu đã sai 70 môn đệ của Ngài từng cặp, hai người một ra đi khắp xóm làng để rao giảng về Nước của Thiên Chúa. Họ được Chúa ban cho quyền chữa lành và an ủi, nhưng không được mang theo bất cứ thứ gì, họ, không được chọn lựa thức ăn hoặc chỗ ở của họ. Đó là một kinh nghiệm về sự tin cậy vào Thiên Chúa một cách tuyệt đối, vì họ không được phép mang theo tiền bạc hoặc đem theo quần áo. Tất cả sẽ được Thiên Chúa chu cấp và lo liệu. Như Thánh Phanxicô chúng ta mừng kính hôm nay. Từng là một người con trong gia đình quý phái giàu có, ngài đã nghe theo tiếng gọi của Chúa và từ bỏ tất cả mặc dù có sự ngăn cản của bố mẹ, ngài đã trả lại tất cả ngay cả bộ quần áo ngài mặc trên người để theo Chúa sống trong sự khó nghèo cho đến hôm nay. Chúng ta đã chng kiến bao nhiêu là người đã theo ngài và sống trong nhà các dòng Phanxicô .
Chúng ta đã chuẩn bị và bắt đầu cho cuộc hành trình của chúng ta chưa? Chúng ta học được cách đặt niềm tin tưởng của chúng ta vào Thiên Chúa. Sự tin tưởng đó không phải là tiền bạc, những mối liên hệ, hay quyền lực mà chúng ta sẽ thấy trong cuộc sống, nhưng đó là sự chăm sóc, ân cần chu đáo của Thiên Chúa. Thánh Phanxicô Assisi biết rõ điều này, các tu sĩ dòng Phanxicô từng sống rất đơn sơ, khó nghèo, và họ được Thiên Chúa chúc phúc trong sự thành công. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô kêu gọi chúng ta nên học lại bài học này trong sự hợp nhất trong Giáo Hội; tin tưởng nhiều hơn vào Thiên Chúa và đừng quá để tâm đến sự giàu có và quyền lực.
Lạy Chúa, xin giúp con biết sống trọn vẹn trong tình yêu mến Chúa.
Jesus sent out 70 followers, two by two, to travel through the land proclaiming the kingdom of God. They were to heal and comfort, but not linger or be choosy about their food or accommodations. It was an experience of absolute trust in God, for they were not allowed to take money or spare clothing. All would be provided. Would we embark on a journey so unprepared? We could learn to be far more trusting than we are. It is not money, connections, or power that will see us through life, but the care and providence of God. St. Francis of Assisi knew this well — his friars travelled and lived very lightly, and they were blessed with success. Pope Francis urges us to relearn this lesson as a Church — trust more in God and less in wealth and power.
Like the disciples of Jesus, we are missioned to go and spread the Good News to those who do not know God, even to those we do not know. We are told that "Evangelization happens when the word of Jesus speaks to people's hearts and minds. This means that we must let our faith shine on the world around us, radiating the love of Jesus by the everyday way we speak, think and act." (US Conference of Bishops)
May we, in our own little ways, become bearers of the Good News to others? Lord, help me to live in complete trust.
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.” Luke 10:1–3
Why would our Lord send His disciples out like lambs among wolves? At first, this might be concerning and cause us to wonder if our Lord were sending them into a situation in which they would encounter harm. Saint Ambrose, in commenting on this, explains that there is no reason for these disciples to fear, since Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who always protects His sheep. It’s helpful to reflect upon what sort of danger these disciples would encounter on this mission and all future missions and to contrast that danger with the only form of danger we should fear.
The “wolves” in this situation are especially some of the cruel religious and civil leaders of that time, as well as those who would reject the disciples and their teaching. When looking at the worldly danger that our Lord encountered, as well as His disciples, we see that it was a danger of persecution. But is that a “danger” that one should fear? Clearly not, since Jesus never cowered in the face of it. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see how this same fate of persecution befell Jesus’ followers. But in the divine perspective, true “danger” is only that which has the potential to do eternal damage to one’s soul: sin.
Sin and sin alone has the potential to do true damage, not persecution or even death. So when Jesus sent His disciples out “like lambs among wolves,” He was fully aware of the persecution they would receive in this world. But He exhorted them and sent them, because He knew that even if they were to eventually suffer persecution and death, their faith and courage in the midst of it would gain them merit in eternal life and would become an instrument of grace for others in their life of faith. As was commonly said in the early Church, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” For that reason, as Jesus sent these sheep out among wolves, He also accompanied their souls as the Good Shepherd, protecting their virtue, strengthening them in their witness to the faith, and keeping them from fear and from sin. He did not want them to fear the death of their body or their worldly reputation—rather, only the death of their souls which He, as the Good Shepherd, vigorously defended.
Reflect, today, upon the glorious truth that our Lord also sends you forth to be like a lamb among wolves. The fulfillment of the will of God in your life will take fortitude and courage as you trust that our Lord will keep you free from the countless temptations of sin. As you go forth, do not be surprised if you encounter harshness from others in the world, judgment and even persecution in various forms. When you do, respond with virtue. Keep faith, hope and charity alive in your life and do not fear those who can harm you in ways that are not eternal. Instead, stay firmly grounded in your mission to love and to share the mercy and truth of God in our world, no matter the consequences. Doing so will bring with it countless interior blessings of grace and will enable God to use you as an instrument of His grace in ways beyond that which you can ever conceive.
My courageous Lord, You came face-to-face with a harshness and cruelty in this world that ultimately enabled You to give witness to Your divine love by freely laying down Your life. Please send me forth on Your mission and strengthen me with every divine virtue so that I will not fear any form of persecution but always remain steadfast in my love of You, overcoming all fear through the gift of faith. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Do with me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the Lord of the harvest. Send me into the fields of the world to bring your peace, your Kingdom, and your healing. Help me to trust in you more deeply each day so that I may bear abundant spiritual fruit for your Kingdom.
1. Have Pity on Me: In the First Reading, Job responds to his friend Bildad for a second time. The first time Bildad spoke to Job (Job 8:1-22), he said that God rewarded the innocent and punished the sinner with suffering. He concluded that since Job was suffering, he must have sinned. Job responded to Bildad that he would like a day in court to establish his innocence (Job 9:15). The second time Bildad spoke (Job 18:1-21), he warned Job that hardships would befall the wicked man and that he is insulted that Job thinks that his advice is stupid (Job 18:3). Job’s response to Bildad reveals a new understanding and perception of his situation. On the one hand, he asks his friends to have pity on him (Job 19:21), and on the other, he asks for God to vindicate him after his death (Job 19:25-26).
Opening Prayer: Jesus, as I come to prayer, I ask you to show me your heart and to share your longings with me so that they might become mine as well. You ask me to be moved by the abundant needs in this world and to pray for more laborers for the harvest. Help me to open my heart to your answer to this prayer in my own heart and to be willing to become part of the answer through my commitment to being a sower of peace in this world.
He Sent Them in Pairs: Jesus sent his disciples to prepare the way ahead of him. They were to testify to their own experience of how their own lives had been changed through their relationship with the Master and so enkindle in their listeners the desire for a similarly transformative encounter with Jesus. When Jesus arrived in these towns, he would find hearts already open to his words: good soil to plant seeds of eternal life. Today, too, he sends us ahead of him to the homes, streets, and public places we frequent. We are called to be his witnesses, very often not even through our words, but primarily through the sincere, unpretentious testimony of a Christian genuinely and joyfully striving to live according to the Gospel. Such testimony is a powerful invitation to others to take an interest in the secret behind the fruitfulness of our lives and dispose their hearts to the future action of grace.
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