Sunday Gospel Reflection
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 | July 3, 2022
The Musts of Being Sent
by Carlo S. Dureza
Volunteers in church ministries don’t just serve when invited. They are trained for the task of volunteering in church work. In addition, they undergo a rite that invokes the Holy Spirit to descend upon them for strength and guidance. In church parlance, this is called commissioning.
Commissioning presupposes being sent, that is, being assigned or appointed by a higher authority to perform and accomplish work that would dignify.
In the gospel today, Jesus commissioned His disciples to continue the mission first given to Him. They were anointed to carry the task of evangelizing the world with the good news of salvation. They were SENT by the Savior, their master and leader.
Just like in any teacher-student, superior-subordinate, master-servant relationship, there is accountability in the work involved. The disciples were to realize that they have been selected to be emissaries of the Kingdom and must therefore be diligent and responsible in this role. Instructions were given to them by the Lord which they must fulfill.
There is privilege in being among the few laborers in a plentiful harvest. May those who have been invited to toil in the Lord’s vineyard be inspired to labor vigorously to yield a crop! There are also dangers in working for Him. There would be persecution, rejection, taunts, and threats from “wolves in sheep’s clothing”, because we do God’s work.
Followers of Christ must sow peace. We must be good-intentioned, humble, and generous towards others, but wise against the devious ways of the world. Let us be grateful to those who welcome us into their homes when we are in need upon sharing God’s Word, but gently pray over those who turn us away, “removing the dust off our feet as a warning against them.”
Let us not seek more than what others could give us, be grateful for what they could share by “eating what is offered by them” as we deserve whatever they could afford to spare us. As we live the gospel in our daily work, we must not worry about our needs, “not to bring any purse, bag, or sandals, or greet anyone on the road” to ask for what we should live by. We must be content with our resources at hand.
Let us concentrate on pouring our energies in proclaiming His word, helping heal the sick, doing justice to the poor and oppressed, and giving consolation to the weak and the needy.
Being sent to duty is to be an emissary to the One sending us. We, the faithful, are emissaries of Jesus our Lord. We bring His message. He had once commissioned His disciples and He does the same to us now, the Church. He never stops inviting people to join Him in His mission. Do we accept His invitation? How do we respond?
Let us remember that as we are called to serve the Lord; we are SENT. It is God, no less, who sends us to be His presence in the world. Let us fulfill the musts of His sending: WISDOM in embracing the truths of difficult struggle and pain in following Him, DISCIPLINE by living simply within our means and to focus in doing His work alone, and TRUST in His caring providence for our needs to live His mission.
Happy Sunday! God bless!! 😃💞
