Scripture Reflection, July 4: A People with a Mission

Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 66: 10-14
Psalm 66
Galatians 6: 14-18
Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20

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This Sunday many of us will be busy with picnics and backyard parties celebrating Independence Day in our nation. As I thought about those days in 1776, with the crafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and all that followed that momentous event, it struck me that it must have been a very “heady” time marked by tremendous energy and resolve. The founders of our nation were engaged in something very risky as they attempted to wrest independence from a “mother country” that was the dominant power of its day. But they had a strong sense of mission that energized them, as they became more convinced of the need to chart a course of freedom for the “colonies.” Their commitment to this mission forged the way for the birth of a new nation, and it resulted in charter documents that assured the basic freedoms that we enjoy as Americans. The very fact that we can engage in heated debates today about the laws of our nation and the policies of our government is due in large part to the vision of this country’s founders.

The gospel for this Sunday also conveys a vigorous sense of mission to all of the followers of Jesus. Luke’s is the only gospel that includes two commissionings of Jesus’ disciples during his ministry: the sending of the Twelve (chapter 9) and the sending of the seventy-two (chapter 10). This second sending-forth suggests the worldwide mission of Jesus’ followers, extending beyond the borders of Israel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to sound forth to all the nations, and every follower has an integral role to play in this mission. In his instructions to the disciples, Jesus communicates the resolve that is needed on the part of the laborers in this mission. They are to “carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals” with them. In other words, they must “travel light” with nothing to weigh them down and impede their participation in the work of proclaiming the gospel.

While Jesus’ words about sacks and money bags may sound a bit antiquated to us, the call to every Christian to participate in the mission of spreading the gospel is quite relevant. It is tempting for any of us to adopt a passive approach to the practice of our faith. We can attend to our own private devotional practices, receive the sacraments, and leave the rest for other people in the Church to do. But the gospel suggests that each and every believer is indispensable for continuing the mission of Jesus in the world today. Each one of us – no matter what our vocation, educational background, or socioeconomic status – is sent forth by the risen Lord to communicate his good news to the world. We do that in different ways, of course, according to our vocation and place in life. The businessman working on Main Street proclaims the good news in a manner distinct from the priest in the pulpit or the lay minister in charge of parish religious education. The nurse in the hospital, the mechanic doing business with his customers, the teacher in the seventh grade classroom – all of these folks participate in the Church’s mission of making the risen Christ and his gospel present to our world today in their own particular ways.

We hear in this Sunday’s gospel Jesus’ famous words, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” This prayer for “laborers” applies to all Christians invited to share in the mission of Christ. In a more specific sense, it also pertains to those called to serve the Lord in ecclesial vocations – priests, religious, and lay ecclesial ministers. We need to continue to ask the Lord to inspire dedicated, talented and healthy men and women to accept the call to these vocations. At Catholics on Call, we know that there are many fine young adults who are discerning this call to serve as ministers in the Church. We just met 33 such men and women at our June conference and are looking forward to encountering another group in August. In our final sharing at the June conference, a couple of our participants spoke about the lack of encouragement from friends and family members in their discernment of a call to serve in the Church. And we have certainly heard that before. So we need to encourage one another in taking seriously this call to serve the Lord through a specifically ecclesial vocation. It is a sublime call – and a most satisfying way of life – which we need to encourage others to consider with open hearts.

In the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “Go on your way.” He says to you and me, too: “Go, and on your way help people to experience my presence in some way; help them to catch a glimpse of the beauty of my teaching; and most of all, help them to know a little more clearly the depth of my compassion and my love for them.” As we depart from Mass this holiday weekend, may we go on our way to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Robin Ryan, cp

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