3 December 2014 GOSPEL

Feast of St. Francis Xavier

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no sackcloth, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
16 "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Reflection:

In today's Gospel, v saw Jesus commissioned seventy other disciples to go on mission. He gave them a vision of a gr8 harvest for d kingdom of God. 

What is d significance of Jesus appointing seventy disciples to d ministry of the word?  Seventy was a significant number in biblical times. Moses chose seventy elders to help him in the task of leading the people thru d wilderness.
In Jesus' times seventy was held to b d number of nations throughout d world. 
Jesus commissioned the seventy to a two-fold task: to speak in His name & to act with prudence.

It was a very difficult task for d disciples. So Jesus made them aware that they must b ready to face d opposition and persecution from those who oppose d gospel.  Jesus came as our sacrificial lamb to atone for d sin of d world. V, in turn, must b willing to sacrifice our lives in humble service of our Lord & Master.

Today, v also celebrate d Feast of St. Francis Xavier. Who was inspired by d life of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When St. Ignatius quoted d words of Christ frm Mt 16:26, "For what will profit a man, if he gains d whole world & suffers d loss of his soul."

This verse made such a gr8 impact on St. Francis' life that he preached d Word of God to India & Japan and thru his preaching brought many to believe in Christ. His preaching was very effective bz he had a gr8 desire to preach God's Word.

Thru d intercession of St. Francis Xavier, may v always b inspired by God's Word & bcm His effective instruments in His Kingdom.

Jesus loves u. Happy Feast. Hv a 1dful day wt Jesus. God bless