14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

A good master teaches his apprentice how a work is done so that if ever the master goes, he knows that at any time the apprentice could take over and continue the work.

The gospel for today is telling us that as Jesus was already intent on facing his destiny in Jerusalem, he wanted to make sure that what he started would continue. So he appointed seventy-two disciples and sent them in pairs to the places where he intends to visit later to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near. Of course, like any good master, he has some instructions to his disciples on want to do and how to conduct themselves in doing about this mission.

Firstly, he instructed them to carry no money bag, no sandals, no sack and greet no one on the road. Initially, we tend to ask why is this so? We have to understand that travelling in Palestine during the time of Jesus was a dangerous task. By carrying no money, sack and sandals, nobody would think you were rich and you would be able to escape the attention of robbers, and greeting no one on the road also made one secure as it would not be suspected that you were up to no good. More importantly though, is that by carrying no money, the disciples of Jesus would be forced to rely on the hospitality of the people who were to host them in their mission areas.

Second, Jesus instructed his disciples to greet people with: “Peace to this household” in whatever house they entered. This greeting is very important, as it is a sign that the disciples had come to bring peace to wherever they went. The message of Jesus is always about peace. For the disciples, it was important they conveyed this message of peace wherever they went. However, peace can only be achieved if the other person receives it. That’s why Jesus said that if a person of peace lives there, peace would rest in that house and if not it would come back to the disciples.

Then, the disciples were asked to eat and drink what was offered. To be a disciple of Christ means that one should never be fussy about what is served in front of him or her. A disciple of Christ should always be thankful for whatever hospitality one gets.

Lastly, the most important task, and that is to cure the sick, expel demons and preach that the “Kingdom of God is near at hand.” This is the heart of the mission that is to give comfort to the people, to expel demons and to preach about God.

This episode of the gospel tells us that all of us by our baptism are sent to proclaim the word of God. Even the number “seventy-two” is symbolic as this number means “universal”. The task of preaching the gospel is not just limited to priests, religious brothers and sisters who have dedicated their lives for this mission; it is a task for everyone.

For many of us, we think of how can we contribute to the mission of Christ. Some of us are saying that we’re not trained to do this mission and this task seems to be too big for us. However, we should realise that there are many things that we can do for the mission. First, we can pray for the success of the mission. We pray for vocations that more young men and women would realise their vocation to be a full time missionary either as a priest or a religious brother or sister. Second, we could be good examples by living out Christ’s commandments in our lives. If we practice Christ’s commands especially in front of our families, friends and workmates, then we are also evangelising them. The most effective way of evangelising is by being a witness. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “We should preach all the time and use words only when necessary.” Finally, I am calling upon the young people who feel that they are being called to dedicate their lives for the mission. To respond to God’s call is not and will never be easy but hopefully with God’s help, we’ll have the strength and the courage to respond to this call.

Jesus no longer lives physically in this world. He has now called all of us to continue what he has started. He even sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in order to do this mission. We should do our task of proclaiming the Kingdom of God so that one day our names would also be written in heaven.