Nehemiah 8:1-12; Psalm 19:8-11; Luke 10:1-12 "Ezra read out of the book from daybreak till midday ... and all the people listened attentively." (Neh 8:3) "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (Lk 10:11) What an amazing scene! Having returned from Babylon, the Jewish exiles managed to rebuild, first, their Temple, and then a wall around Jerusalem. Then they wanted to know how they should live in their homeland as God’s faithful people. So “the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand” gathered in the public square and stood for hours and hours listening carefully as Ezra, a scribe, read them the Law. How long has it been since you prayed and listened to God’s word from daybreak to midday without a break? We Christians, particularly the modern Catholics, can get restless when asked to stand during a long Gospel reading or prayer session. And if a homily or sermon approaches twenty minutes, we begin looking at our watches! It’s a good idea occasionally to set aside extended time to pray. This could be at a parish evening of reflection, on a weekend retreat, or as we keep silence for an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. It may mean simply setting aside a longer personal prayer time so that we can read a whole book of the Bible or work through a particularly challenging text. At the same time, we may also find it helpful to shorten our prayer time every once in a while. If your mind tends to wander during your usual time with the Lord, try cutting the time in half - but make every minute count. Invite the Holy Spirit to be with you before you begin. Change your posture by kneeling or standing. Pray, or read Scripture aloud. Or try writing out your prayer time. Try something different for this short time, an approach that will help you be more attentive to the Spirit. Of course, these are only techniques. Whether you spend more or less time in prayer, what really matters is opening your heart to the Lord. If the people standing before Ezra had been listening just with their minds and not their hearts, very little would have changed. But because so many were attentive and open to the word of God, Israel experienced a new beginning. The same can happen for you! The Gospel passage instructs us on the modalities for spreading the Gospel message. But then, what kind of harvest does the Lord want us to reap today? When Jesus commissioned seventy of his disciples to go on mission, he gave them a vision of a great harvest for the kingdom of God. Jesus frequently used the image of a harvest to convey the coming of God’s reign on earth. The harvest is the fruition of labour and growth - beginning with the sowing of seeds, then growth, and finally fruit for the harvest. In like manner, the word of God is sown in the hearts of receptive men and women who hear his word and who accept it with trust and obedience. The harvest Jesus had in mind was not only the people of Israel, but all the peoples (or nations) of the world. John the Evangelist tells us that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). What does Jesus mean when he says his disciples must be "lambs in the midst of wolves"? The prophet Isaiah foretold a time when wolves and lambs will dwell in peace (Is 11:6 and 65:25). This certainly refers to the second coming of Christ when all will be united under the Lordship of Jesus after he has put down his enemies and established the reign of God over the heavens and the earth. In the meantime, the disciples must expect opposition and persecution from those who who would oppose the Gospel. Jesus came as our sacrificial lamb to atone for the sin of the world. We, in turn, must be willing to sacrifice our lives in humble service of our Lord and Master. What is the significance of Jesus appointing seventy disciples to the 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 through the wilderness. The Jewish Sanhedrin, the governing council for the nation of Israel, was composed of seventy members. In the times of Jesus seventy was held to be the number of nations throughout the world. Jesus commissioned the seventy to a two-fold task: to speak in his name and to act with his power. Jesus gave them instructions for how they were to carry out their ministry. They must go and serve as people without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light - only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them - in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting reward or payment. “Poverty of spirit” frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject God’s invitation and refuse his word, then they bring condemnation on themselves. When God gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to respond. Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in how we respond to his word. God gives us his word that we may have abundant life in him. He wills to work through and in each of us for his glory. God shares his word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the Gospel by word and example to those around you? “Thank you, Father, for inviting me to spend time talking with you as a friend. Open my heart to listen attentively to what you are saying today. And, Lord Jesus, may the joy and truth of the Gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.” Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 06:30:19 +0000
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