Sunday 7 July 2019
14TH WEEK Week II Psalter
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 66:10-14. Psalm 65(66):1-7, 16, 20. Galatians 6:14-18. Luke 10:1-12, 17-20.
Let all the earth cry out to God with joy – Psalm 65(66):1-7, 16, 20
‘Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
The 72 were sent to the villages ahead of Jesus to announce that ‘the Kingdom of God is very near to you’. The meaning of this message is twofold. In light of the history of the Jewish people and the prophecies of the Old Testament, the first meaning is clear. The long-awaited hour of God’s favour had arrived and the consolation of Israel was beginning. More profoundly, their message, tied to the imminent arrival of Jesus, hints at the true and unexpected nature of this Kingdom. The words Jesus gives them to repeat, that the Kingdom of God is near to them, will be fulfilled upon his arrival, as Jesus himself is the Kingdom.
The disciples are invited to travel light and trust in the providence of God acting through people. Their total reliance on God’s goodness draws out both the generosity and closed-heartedness of the people they meet.
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