Reflection for Tuesday October 18 Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist: Luke 10:1-9

Gospel: Luke 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves payment. 

Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”

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Reflection:

A young man decided to become a follower of Jesus but he did not leave behind his worldly lifestyle. He still was living his sinful and hedonistic life and he did not cut his ties with his friends who loved this world more than God. After a few months he noticed that he was not able to convince anyone to follow the Lord. 

How could we become effective bearers of the teachings of Jesus? We must live simply, avoid any form of sin and we should depend on Jesus in everyday of our lives. This doesn’t mean that we just lay idle and wait for the manna from heaven to fall upon us in a silver platter. This means that we still have to work hard but at the same time we have to live simply. And let the values and teachings of Jesus take control of our life.    

Is it still possible to live simply today where the culture of greed, materialism and accumulation rules? Of course it’s still very much possible it’s actually upon our hands on how we would live in this world. Would we let the culture of greed, materialism and accumulation rule over us? Or we let the simple lifestyle of Jesus take control of us? 

When Jesus sent the seventy-two disciples to their mission He advocated simple living and total dependence on Him. Why? Because it’s only through this that they could become effective bearers of the good news of Jesus. It’s only through this way that they would be able to convince others to follow Jesus. 

If we want to become effective and fruitful laborers of the Lord we have to learn to live  simple lives. And we have to learn to trust in the providence of the Lord rather than trust in our own selves. For the simple reason that this is the lifestyle of Jesus: He lived a simple life and Jesus did not trust on himself He trusted on the guidance and goodness of God. 

How are you living your life today? – Marino J. Dasmarinas