October 18th, 2018

St Luke, Evangelist

St Peter of Alcantara

Psalm 144/145 : 10-11, 12-13, 17-18

Your friends, O Lord, shall make known the glorious splendour of Your reign.

1st Reading – 2 Timothy 4 : 10-17b

Demas has deserted me for love of this life and gone to Thessalonika, Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia; only Luke is with me. Get Mark to come and bring him with you; I find him a useful helper in my work. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and the scrolls, especially the parchment ones. Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him for what he has done. Be on your guard against him yourself, because he has been bitterly contesting everything that we say. The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear.

Gospel – Luke 10 : 1-9

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’

Reflection

The harvest is rich but the labourers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers... These words are crucial because we will be judged on how we respond. Many do not yet know Christ; do we care? We must pray for the harvest. We always pray for what is important to us; does the harvest matter enough that we pray often for it? We need more vocations. But how can we pray for others to do what we are not willing to do? The 72 disciples are us, laypersons, sent out by the Lord to use our time and talents for the Kingdom. Do we contribute to missionary work? Do we interact with those of other faiths and witness Christ? While going about our mission we must not get distracted by worldly things but ‘travel light’. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for God’s Kingdom even before our own needs.

‘START OFF NOW!’

Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe – John of Patmos, Revelation 14:14.