In spite of the many distractions and allurements which this world presents to the disciple of Jesus, you and I, it is the Lord who is to be our sole possession. It is towards this end that our prayer and our fasting are directed: towards continually increasing and renewing our desire for Him even as His presence in us grows and we experience the peace and the joy which he brings. The more we allow this to happen, the better we can transform the world around us. All of this is what we see in today’s Gospel.
Jesus sends 70 ahead of him to proclaim the good news, to heal and to call to repentance. He sends them with nothing: no money, no purse, no sandals. Nothing. Except, at the same time, they have everything. They know Jesus. They are to be the lambs who tread amongst wolves because it is the very Lamb of God who has sent them and whose peace reigns in their hearts. They know Jesus, they have spent time with Him, and they have experienced the peace He brings to hearts that make Him room. It is Jesus who they proclaim and Him who they declare to each household by sharing His peace with it: “Peace to this house” (Lk 10:5).
Moreover, it is His abiding presence that allows them to remain at peace even when not welcomed. They know that what they possess in Jesus far surpasses any riches or human affirmation. So, they rejoice at sharing it with others and are not distressed when rejected. It is Jesus who they bring, and it is Him who renders their efforts fruitful, why they can cure the sick and cast out demons. Thus, upon their return, they exclaim “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name” (Lk 10:17) and why St. Paul, in the second reading from the latter to the Galatians, urges us never to boast except in the cross of Jesus.
Our task is no different than that of the 70. Having been made new by the blood of the Lamb, having been transformed by His sacrifice, and nourished by His most sacred Body present in the Eucharistic, our task is to go into the world to transform it. Not by our efforts. Like the 70, we have nothing to give except Jesus. It is Him alone who the world and each heart longs for and desires. Thus, it is towards allowing His presence to grow in our hearts and making room for His grace to transform them that our efforts should be directed to. We do this primarily by prayer and fasting. The former, nourished by the sacraments, helps us to get to know Jesus, to allow Him into our hearts, and to experience His love and peace. The later helps us to keep our attention fixed on the Lord, to remove distractions, and to recognize that it is only Him which our heart long for and are fulfilled by. Let us be intent on allowing the presence of Jesus in our hearts to increase, that we may carry out the task of transforming the world around us.
Santiago Torres – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
Fot. Khalil Yamoun/Unsplash.com