Full Homily

Our Gospel today comes from 10th chapter of Luke, where he appoints the 72 to go out two by two ahead of Him to every town and place to continue His mission. He had told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Brothers and Sisters, fellow catechists, you are now those 72 in our day….Thanks be to God!

Jesus shares with the 72, and now you the same, some interesting reflections that are worthy of our prayer. Our passage today has these disciples returning to Jesus, and they were filled with joy because they were victorious over the forces of evil, and they tell Jesus, “Even the demons are subject to us, because of your name.” Jesus, too, shares in their joy but He also cautions them to rejoice more in the fact that “their names are written in heaven,” that God has given them a share of His ministry, that is something to rejoice in, rather than in their ability to overcome evil. This is an important lesson for us. You see, sometimes we can find ourselves rejoicing in our own victories and taking credit for our accomplishments, patting ourselves on the back, “well done.” When we do so, we lose sight of what those victories mean in God’s overall plan, and that we could do nothing if it were not given to us by God. 

Our deepest joy should be rooted in the fact that God believes in us and has confidence in us so much that the Lord actually entrusts to us a mission. We should rejoice, then, that we have been found worthy to be co-workers with the Lord. That is a joy that will endure regardless of success or failure, acceptance or rejection. If, on the other hand, our joy is only based on our success and victory, then life will be a roller coaster as we move from happiness to sadness based on how our day is going. Jesus wants disciples who have a deep and abiding joy — a joy that is rooted in their relationship with God meaning their names are written in heaven and not just in their daily successes. 

To assist them in living this way, Jesus is very clear about what the 72’s first action should be. After explaining the huge work they have to do, the Lord simply commands them to “Pray.” Prayer is essential in the life of a disciple and is necessary before we begin any effort so that whatever work we do may be in accord with God’s will and guided by the Holy Spirit. It does not matter what we accomplish if it is not in accord with God’s will. In fact, disciples sometimes act with good intentions but end up working against the Gospel rather than for it. Prayer keeps us focused on our purpose, open to the Lord’s inspiration, and aware of the sacredness of our efforts. Without prayer, we risk doing our own will rather than God’s will. 

So, fellow catechist, how good we begin this day with the greatest of all prayers, the Eucharist. It is a good model for us, before we begin any of our work as disciples, spend some time in prayer, to keep us focused and joyful. May God bless this day’s work, and all your efforts to spread the kingdom and reconcile God’s people in your work as catechist.