OT XIV [C]:  Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10: 1-12, 17-20

 

Most of us may have heard of Helen Keller, who was born in the U.S. towards the end of the 19th century, and she lived until the 1960s. In the first months of her life, she fell ill, as a result of which she was left without hearing and sight for the rest of her life. Her speech was also severely impaired. Yet, with the help of several gifted people, including a woman called Ann Sullivan, Helen went on to become a great communicator. Miss Sullivan worked hard to get Helen to identify objects she could touch by tracing the name of the object on Helen’s hand, for example, pouring water on her hands and then tracing the word ‘water’ on the back of her hand. Eventually, Helen began to build up a vocabulary in her head. She made great efforts to learn to speak, but her speech never really improved beyond the sounds that only Anne and others very close to her could understand. Yet, Helen went on to write several books with Anne’s help. After her time spent at College, she went on lecture tours, speaking of her experiences and beliefs to enthralled crowds, with Anne interpreting what she said, sentence by sentence.

 

Helen was once asked: ‘If you had only one wish granted, what would you ask for?’ Everyone believed that she would ask for the gift of sight or hearing for herself. Instead, she replied simply, ‘I would ask for world peace’. Her answer reveals a woman who was anything but self-absorbed. Given the restrictions under which she lived, she had good reason to be self-absorbed. Yet, her vision and concerns obviously went far beyond herself. She wanted not so much for herself but for others, especially for those who were suffering the effects of war and hostility.

The question, ‘If you had only one wish granted, what would you ask for’ is one that has the potential to be very revealing. The way we answer that question can reveal a lot about us. It’s a question that makes us reflect on what it is that really matters to us, what it is we value most deeply.

For disciples of Jesus, the coming of God’s kingdom is to be their primary wish, their deepest prayer. Jesus once said to his disciples, ‘Seek first the kingdom of God’.

 When Jesus sent out the seventy-two on mission, he told them not to greet anyone along the way.” (See also 2 Kings 4:29). This instruction implies that the mission was so urgent that nothing should divert the disciples from it. 

 

It is only Luke who tells us that Jesus sent out this large group of seventy-two. The harvest was rich, and many labourers were needed. Indeed, Jesus’ call on the seventy-two was to ask God to send out even more labourers into the harvest. Not even seventy-two would be enough; the Lord’s work needs many hands. The Lord needs us all if his work is to get done. The seventy-two were sent out to prepare places where the Lord intended to go. Jesus intends to go to every town and village in the world, not just to the 36 he sent them. The Lord is constantly sending us out ahead of him to prepare for his coming. The Lord needs us if others are to experience his coming. The primary way that the Lord comes to others is through us, his followers. When the Lord sent out the seventy-two as his ambassadors, he sent them out in pairs. It was together that they could bring the Lord to others. In a similar way today, the Lord does not send us out alone. If we are to do the Lord’s work, if the Lord is to do his work through us, we need to go forth with others. The Lord’s work is more likely to get done when we are working in communion with others. If you look at any parish, you will find that all of the ministries that are serving people well are being carried out by people working together. The Lord works best through people who work together, who give of their gifts to each other and who receive from each other’s gifts. One of the reasons why the Lord sent out his followers in twos was that he saw them as lambs among wolves. Because when they would be facing hostile environments, they would need the support of one another. In trying to witness to the Lord’s values and outlook today, we too will often feel a little bit like lambs among wolves. The culture and society in which we live are not always supportive of the Lord and his message. That is why, as disciples of the Lord, we need to work together, and why the Lord continues to send us out two by two, if not three by three or four by four. Today, more than ever, we need to support each other within the church.

When we live a true Christian life we would have the courage to invite people of other faiths to our faith. If we do not live a genuine Christian life, we will lack the courage to do that. A recent survey asked the question, “Why do adults join the Catholic Church in spite of the scandals publicized in the media?”  Seventy-five per cent of the new adult converts to the Catholic Church reported that they were attracted by a personal invitation from a Catholic who had a lively relationship with Christ and his Church. 

 

The missionaries were to offer the Lord to everyone, regardless of how they were received. That is part of our calling also. How people relate to us should not determine how we relate to them.  We witness to the Lord, even when that witness is not appreciated. In that sense, our faithfulness to the Lord matters more to him than how successful our labour is. They were to rejoice not in the positive outcome of their mission but, rather, in their relationship with the Lord. It is as if Jesus was saying to them that the Lord of the harvest matters more than the harvest of the Lord.

 

Today’s Gospel reminds us that we, the 2.5 billion Christians in the world today, have the mission of the 72 to preach the Gospel of Christ to the rest of the world’s 4.5 billion non-Christians. As faithful Christians, we should attract others to the Faith by leading exemplary lives, just as a rose silently attracts people by its beauty and fragrance. This is our job and our responsibility.

May the good Lord who sent out the 72 and gave them the power and strength to preach the kingdom of God also give us the desire and strength to witness to the Kingdom of God always and everywhere.