READ
First reading: Is 66:10-14c
Second reading: Gal 6:14-18
Gospel: Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
UNDERSTAND | By Father Greg Friedman, OFM
In his first Rule for the Franciscan Order, Saint Francis of Assisi urged his brothers who wished to be missionaries to—in his words—“avoid quarrels or disputes and be subject to every human creature for God’s sake.” The friars were to be men of peace as they fulfilled Francis’s wish to “proclaim the word of God openly.” That Franciscan style of mission continues today, as we friars seek to discover where God is at work in different human cultures and in other religious traditions around the world. Today, most contemporary missionaries make a similar effort to look, listen, and learn from the people with whom they share the Good News.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples on mission. He urges them to bring a message of peace as they announce that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
We can take a cue as evangelizers in the world today from Christ as St. Francis did. Even if we’re not formal missionaries, we’re sent out from each Eucharist into the world. We carry a message of peace. Let’s seek the good wherever God has planted it. Let’s try to learn from those who are different from us, respecting their culture and sincere beliefs, even as we announce the Kingdom.
DISCUSS | By Father Dan Kroger, OFM
In the first reading, what does the Lord say concerning Jerusalem?
In this week’s second reading, what does Paul tell his readers not to do?
This section of Luke’s Gospel is a narrative about sending out 72 disciples. What are they supposed to do? And what are they supposed to use as their greeting?
ACT | By Susan Hines-Brigger
There are many things we probably don’t know about the people and world around us. Find something that you would like to know more about, such as another religion or culture, and find a way to educate yourself. That could either be from reading books or articles, or finding someone whom you can talk with about the subject. Share what you learn with family and friends.
