"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Isaiah 66:10-14c

 “Rejoice for Jerusalem

And be glad for  her, all you who love her. Be glad with her, rejoice with her, all you who were in grief over her,  that you may suck of the milk from her comforting breasts, that you may drink deeply from the abundance of her glory.”

For this is what Yahweh says: I will send her peace, overflowing like a river; and the nations’ wealth, rushing like a torrent towards her.

And you will be nursed and carried in her arms and fondled upon her lap.

As a son comforted by his mother, so will I comfort you.  

 At the sight of this, your heart will rejoice; like grass, your bones will flourish. For it shall be known that Yahweh’s hand is with his servant.

 

Pa 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

 

  ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Galatians 6:14-18

 For me, I do not wish to take pride in anything except in the cross of Christ Jesus our Lord. Through him the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

 Let us no longer speak of the circumcised and of non-Jews, but of a new creation.  Let those who live according to this rule receive peace and mercy: they are the Israel of God!   Let no one trouble me any longer: for my part, I bear in my body the marks of Jesus.

 May the grace of Christ Je­sus our Lord be with your spirit brothers and sisters. Amen.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place, where he himself was to go.   And he said to them, “The har­vest is rich, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.  Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.

 Whatever house you enter, first bless them saying: ‘Peace to this house.’  If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you.   Stay in that house eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.

When they welcome you in any town, eat what they offer you.  Heal the sick who are there and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’

But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the marketplace and proclaim:   ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you. But know and be sure that the kingdom of God had come to you.’   I tell you that on the Judgment Day it will be better for Sodom than for this town.

 The seventy-two disciples returned full of joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we called on your name.”   Then Jesus replied, “I saw ­Satan fall like lightning from heaven.   You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Reasons to Rejoice

Read:

Isaiah paints the maternal heart of God: God who nurses and comforts us, and whose hand accompanies us. Precisely because he bears in his body the very marks of Christ, Paul is unable to discriminate between people, for all are a new creation in Christ. Jesus sends the seventy-two, to offer his peace, mercy, and healing to everyone willing to receive.

Reflect:

The reaction of the disciples returning from the fruitful mission is revealing as to their priorities: they are overjoyed that even evil forces were obedient to them! Don’t they sound a bit similar to today’s tele-vangelists and preachers of a “prosperity gospel” who cannot proclaim enough of the miracles God is working through them?

Jesus, like a true master, does not invalidate their experience, but gently reminds them that their authority comes from him. And more importantly, he invites them to rejoice primarily not because the evil forces obey them, but because they themselves have been recipients of  od’s grace and redemption. They – and by extension, we-are not primarily givers, but recipients; and we can give only what we have received.

Pray:

Pray for a heart that rejoices in God’s mercies, to us and to others.

Act:

Share with another person about an occasion when you experienced unmerited grace from God.

 

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."