Luke 10:1-9

2 Timothy 4:10-17b

Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

Luke 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples

whom he sent 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 greet no one along the way.

Into whatever house you enter,

first say, ‘Peace to this household.’

If a peaceful person lives there,

your peace will rest on him;

but if not, it will return to you.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,

for the laborer deserves payment.

Do not move about 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.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, send me as a laborer into your harvest! Let me bring peace to those I encounter today. When I am united to you through your grace, I am a bearer of the Kingdom in this world. May your reign be extended by my actions, prayers, and words to many hearts today!

Encountering the Word of God

1. Paul and Luke: When we read the Gospel of Luke at daily mass, it is usually but not always paired with a reading from one of Paul’s 13 letters. This arrangement in the Liturgy of the Word reflects how Paul and Luke travelled together, ministered to God’s people together, and how they mutually influenced one another in presenting the Gospel. In fact, St. Irenaeus said that Luke was Paul’s follower and “set down in a book the Gospel that was preached by Paul” (Against the Heresies, 3,1,1). Luke’s account of the institution of the Eucharist, for example, is closer to Paul’s account in 1 Corinthians than the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. Luke was likely from Antioch and was either a Gentile or a Hellenistic Jew. He wrote his Gospel for Gentile Christians in the Roman Empire. One unique characteristic of Luke’s Gospel is the account of the five joyful mysteries at the beginning of his Gospel. If Luke was a Gentile and converted with the preaching of Paul, this was a likely source of joy. As a pagan, there was little or no hope for anything beyond the grave. What Paul taught Luke was that God so loved us that he became one of us, suffered for us, and died for us. “Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh: he showed the way to eternal life. Whoever trusted in him and followed his teachings could have confidence of a life to come in the loving embrace of God. This was such good news! How could one not be joyful to hear it?” (Bergsma, New Testament Basics for Catholics, 85).

2. What Luke’s Gospel Emphasizes and Teaches: More than the other Gospels, Luke’s account of Jesus emphasizes him as the one who brings God’s salvation to Israel and the entire world. “Luke also emphasizes that Jesus is Lord (Greek kyrios), the same title used for the lord God of Israel” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 22). Also unique to Luke is the attention he gives to Gentiles, Samaritans, and women. If we didn’t have Luke’s Gospel, we would not know how women aided Jesus’ ministry and the growth of the early Church. The Acts of the Apostles was also written by Luke and teaches us that God guides the history of the world and the Church through his Spirit. We, like the Apostles and early disciples of Jesus, need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and moved by the Spirit in our lives. We are not the protagonists, and our success is not measured by earthly standards.

3. Reading Luke Today: “In several ways, Luke’s Gospel both invites and challenges today’s readers. It invites them to answer Jesus’ call to discipleship – ‘Follow me’ (5:27; 9:23, 59; 18:22) – while challenging them to take seriously his words about detachment from material possessions and merciful care of the poor and needy (10:37; 12:15-21; 14:13; 16:19-31). It invites them to develop a life of prayer (11:1-13) modeled after Jesus’ own prayer (3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 22:40-46), while challenging them to persevere ‘without becoming weary’ (18:1) when an answer to prayer seems a long time in coming. It invites them to be witnesses (24:48) to the risen Jesus by their words and deeds, while challenging them to maintain their testimony in the face of persecution (21:12-13). Despite the challenges, however, Luke invites readers to experience the joy of the gospel (2:10; 15:32; 24:52)” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 23). In brief, Luke especially warns us about loving money and neglecting the poor, about how to pray, and how to live out our Christian liberation from sin and the new life of grace. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my King. I belong to you and am a member of your royal, priestly, and prophetic family. I will strive to imitate the mercy of your heavenly Father and imitate your meekness and humility in all that I do today.

Living the Word of God: Am I willing to dedicate time today and this week to study and pray with the Gospels? Do I know each of the Four Gospels and how they individually present the mystery of Christ and his Church? How can I be a more effective witness of the Gospel message?