14TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C
MISSION IS POSSIBLE!
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
MESSAGE
Philip Neri desired one thing – to join the Jesuits and go to India as a missionary. When he became entangled in the devastated situation of the church and society in Rome, he quickly set about rescuing children, serving the poor, preaching to the locals, welcoming pilgrims until he realized that faraway India was not his life’s purpose. He became the missionary of Rome, and one of its most beloved saints!
Robert Francis Prevost left his family at a young age to become an Augustinian aspirant. Later as a priest, he became a worldwide superior and a missionary to the poorest in Peru. His mission took him to Rome where in 2025 he became Pope Leo XIV, the missionary pope!
The Gospel today echoes with the sound of mission. Jesus entrusts to his disciples the task of becoming laborers in God’s field. Without regard for the danger or for personal gain, they were to proclaim the Kingdom of peace and to set people free from error, sin and evil. The Lord’s call too mission touches everyone who follows him today. All of us are called to continue the work of the Lord and the disciples where we find ourselves today and where we will be sent tomorrow.
Mission is not easy. It entails sacrifice, even the supreme offering of life. That is why we need to pray for missionaries and support their work. But in our daily lives, far from the dangers of missionary adventures, our mission can be demanding in that it asks for perseverance, patience, commitment and love in the simple and ordinary tasks we perform for the people around us.
REFLECT
Do you sometimes ask God if he still has a mission for your life? Are you in search of meaning and purpose? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to God’s silent voice in your soul, and to open your eyes to the possibilities of serving him right where you are today, with the passion and courage of a real missionary in the world.
