Commentary on the Gospel of
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) - God needs Evangelisers.
Jesus does not want to work alone, he came to bring God's love into the world and he wants to spread it in the style of communication, in the style of fraternity. For this reason he forms a community of disciples, which is a missionary community, and immediately trains them to go on mission. The aim is to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and this is also urgent today (Pope Francis).
Luke is the only evangelist who narrates the sending of seventy-two disciples, presenting the ideal and the ideology of the Christian mission: a shortage of workers for an important mission, the prayer of those sent to obtain more collaborators, humility as a model of evangelisation, because the missionary is not only sent, a task is imposed on him, and the conditions in which he is to carry it out.
Paul VI reminds us that the command given to the Twelve "Go into the world and proclaim the Good News" is also valid, although in a different way, for Christians.faith is a missionary commitment, because if a Christian is not an apostle, he is not a Christian either.missionaries, priests, religious, lay people, have the mission to announce the Gospel.the former publicly in the assemblies of the People of God.and the laity through personal contact, in the environments where they can meet.everyone who follows Jesus, is committed to his work.
St. Paul says: "To proclaim Jesus Christ is a privilege 'I, the least of all consecrated people, have been given the honour of proclaiming to the pagans the immense riches of Christ'" (Eph.3,18).
Paul VI says: "He who has been evangelised, evangelises; this is the proof of the truth", and it can be affirmed that he who does not proclaim his faith is because he has none. For the way to confirm it is to proclaim it. St. John Paul II: "If you want to grow in faith, proclaim it; if you want to be strengthened in the love and following of Jesus, proclaim it". The statement that Jesus made to us: "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few" (Lk 10,2) should make us reflect. How many of us who go to mass feel the need to collaborate with the church, with Jesus in the work of evangelisation? The Second Vatican Council tells us: The lay apostolate arises from the Christian vocation itself and cannot be absent in the Church (AA1,1), so it is not enough to pray; every Christian has something to do. The Christian must be itinerant, who feels himself in a position to walk. Without baggage, without saddlebags, without sandals", i.e. far away from baggage, in poverty. Another recommendation of the Gospel is to go two by two, giving peace to all, without stopping and without wasting time on the way.
Prayer: Give us, Lord, companions in mission and the gospel, they will be our goods and our food.
(Psalm 65) Shout to the Lord, all the earth.
HAPPY SUNDAY TO ALL!
