[Part of a poem. The Jews have returned from exile in Babylon and are offered hope. The returned exiles faced many hardships as they tried to rebuild Jerusalem, ravaged by the Babylonians. Jerusalem is compared to a mother nursing her infant. The image given is one of peace, companionship, nourishment, and love. The image then changes and God takes on the mother-role, nursing and comforting her children.]]
Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her!
Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her!
That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast,
that you may savour with delight her glorious breasts.
For thus says the Lord:
Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river,
And like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.
At her breast will her nurselings be carried and fondled in her lap.
Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you.
And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.
At the sight your heart will rejoice, and your bones flourish like the
grass.
To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.
[For Paul what matters is that we are made new (new creation) through Jesus’ cross. We have to allow Christ mould us into his image. Nothing else counts]
The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. It does
not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to
become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow
this rule, who form the Israel of God.
I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are
those of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
my brothers. Amen.
[Jesus sends his disciples out to teach in both word and deed that “the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Lukan missionaries are to travel light, with a deep trust in God and in those who will receive them. Their first words whenever they enter a house are “Peace to this household,” and if a person characterized by peace welcomes them, God’s peace will rest on that house. Peace is the biblical shalom, wholeness or security, the result of a right relationship with God and neighbor (see Is. 32:17, “Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security”).]
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.” But whenever you enter a
town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say,
“We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and
leave it with you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very
near.” I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with
that town.’
The seventy-two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘even the devils
submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan
fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread
underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy;
nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit
to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.’
A
1. What word or phrase stands out for you? Why?
2. With whom in the readings do you most identify? Why
3. Do you feel attracted to anything in today’s readings? Do you feel
resistant to anything? Do you know why?
4. In what way do these readings affirm you?
5. In what way do these readings challenge you?
6. What can you do to respond to this challenge?
B
1. How does Jesus ask you to spread the good news (= the gospel) in
today’s world? What obstacles do you see in your path? What do you need
to do to overcome these obstacles?
2. What instruction did you receive early in your faith life that is
still valid and useful today?
3. How can you be a healer? What suffering surrounds you/ is there that
you can do something about.
4. How is your faith a comfort to you?
5. Any text you would like to dwell on?
“The kingdom of God is at hand for you” (Lk 10:11)
The readings for today offer us two conflicting images. One is of
abundance and rejoicing; the other is of the cross and self-denial. One
might think that these two images cannot be harmonized. But if we look
carefully at their messages, we can see how they really do fit together.
Isaiah’s message is a vision of the future. Jerusalem, which had been
destroyed, its inhabitants scattered, will be made prosperous again and
its people brought back home. The ancient Israelites certainly clung to
this promise of future security and happiness, and so do we today. There
are many cities over which we mourn. There are cities ravaged by war
like Baghdad and Gaza, cities plagued by poverty like Calcutta and
Lagos; and we all know cities that are riddled with crime.
We grieve over such cities, and we wonder whether, like Jerusalem before
them, God will turn their mourning into rejoicing. This is not a vain
hope, for as today’s psalm reminds us, God “changed the sea into dry
land; through the river they passed on foot.” God liberated a people
before; certainly God can do it again. But how?
The Gospel answers this question. The world has an immense need of
labourers who will bring to life the kingdom of God. Jesus sent out a
group during his own lifetime, and he sends us out to continue their
work. Today we are the ones with the message, “Peace to this household.”
“Peace” is a simple greeting to give, but a monumental task to
accomplish. But world peace really does begin in our families and in our
neighbourhoods. And we can, indeed we must, establish it there.
We are the ones who, through the power of Jesus, can make “even the
demons subject to us.” And there are many demons roaming around in our
world. There are addictions of every kind, greed under many guises,
grudges held for years on end. The transformation of our lives is
encompassed in the vision of the rebirth of the city of Jerusalem. We
are the new creation of which Paul speaks in today’s reading. And like
Paul, we too must be willing to be crucified to some of the standards of
our world, standards that stand in opposition to the reign of God. It is
in this way that the cross enters our lives.
Jesus warned us that the message of peace, and the means that we employ
to establish that peace, may be rejected. Our efforts at change may not
always be appreciated. But God restored the people in the past, and
through us, God can continue to restore the people today.
Pray that you may be a messenger of peace in all you say and do.
The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to
send labourers to his harvest
Reflect prayerfully on Paul’s words: “The only thing I can boast about is the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I
to the world.”