Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” July-August 2022

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
2nd week of the Psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 66:10-14c)
Rejoice with Jerusalem, exult in her, all you who love her. Rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourned over her. So that you may be nourished and satisfied at her consoling breast; so that you may drink deeply and delight in her abundant glory. For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend prosperity to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort. You shall see and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass. The hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants.” – The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

Looking at the history of Israel, joy comes from what we might call a rebirth, which coincides with the return of God’s people to their land, to Jerusalem. The Babylonian exile has ended and life is reborn. God is a caring mother. Indeed, he is the most caring of mothers, because he takes care to console his children and restore their dignity. Precisely when Israel has experienced shame and dishonor among the other peoples, God opens new prospects and new plans for restoration. The Most High cares for us just as a parent does: there is no aspect of our lives, our relationships, or our activities that does not matter to him. Above all, what is closest to his heart is our eternal happiness; but this is a happiness whose preparation begins above all in the present. For this reason, with a provident and merciful heart, he gives us every means of grace so that we may grow to the fullness of life in Christ. Recognize what you have received: only in this way can the hope that gives life a new direction blossom.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Galatians (Gal 6:14-18)
Brothers and sisters, may I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who follow this rule, and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen. – The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

For Saint Paul, what matters is being a new creation, and a new creation is anyone who recognizes that they have received everything from God, who recognizes the primacy of God’s action, who recognizes that the logic guiding his action is not the logic of success, nor that of imposing oneself by perhaps raising one’s voice, but rather the logic of the cross, of giving one’s own life. This is what it means to bear the marks of the Lord in one’s body! It is true that, throughout the history of Christian holiness, there have been people who bore the signs of Christ’s passion in their flesh, but bearing Jesus’ passion in one’s body is not only for some: all of us Christians, through the mystery of participation in the Son’s passion, death, and resurrection, are incorporated through Baptism into this event that is fundamental to our salvation. Therefore, every suffering, every illness, every event that reminds us of our poverty and our creaturely nature – if lived in union with the Lord – is an authentic way to unite ourselves to the sufferings of the Redeemer and to bear Christ’s passion in our own bodies as well.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 10:1-12, 17-20)
At that time, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few! So ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals, and do not stop to greet anyone along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; otherwise, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they have, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ But whatever town you enter and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, we shake off against you. But know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.’ I tell you, on that day Sodom will be treated more leniently than that town.” The seventy-two returned rejoicing, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

Continuing his journey toward Jerusalem, Jesus appoints and sends ahead of him another seventy-two disciples, whose task is to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near. The disciples, that is, all those who respond to the Lord’s call in every age, are charged with announcing his love transparently, for it is salvation for all who believe in him. Faced with the immensity of the field in which one must work and the abundance of the harvest, one might become overwhelmed. Humanity’s unquenchable thirst for eternal life may raise a question: what can a small group of messengers, poor and unarmed, do? Yet this is precisely the miracle: the message is so explosive that it can change the course of history and the lives of those who welcome it. It does not depend on those who serve as its ambassadors; this is why Jesus is not afraid to entrust the Good News to his friends, certain that, despite their poverty and misery, they will be effective transmitters of this message. To work in the Lord’s field, it is not necessary to have qualifications or special abilities. Let us ask for the grace to be disciples so that God may dwell in us and others may encounter him through us.