Oct. 18, 2022 – 2 Timothy 4:10-17b; Psalm 144; Luke 10:1-9
In the first reading, taken from the second letter to Timothy, Paul, a prisoner in Rome and awaiting judgment, complains about his situation and asks Timothy, who appears to be in Ephesus, to join him. Many of his companions have left him or have been sent on missions. Paul says that during the trial no one has been there for him. However, he testifies that God was close to him and gave him the strength to proclaim the gospel message to all nations
In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples on how to conduct themselves to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The disciple is, first and foremost, one who is called by the Lord for the purpose of being sent in his name: it is Jesus who calls whom he wills to entrust him with a concrete mission! “The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two before him to every city and place where he was about to go” (Luke 10:1).
Jesus associates 72 disciples with his mission; the number 72 refers to the number of the nations of the earth according to Jewish tradition; the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible had raised the number of peoples listed in the table of nations in Genesis 10 to 72.
To his disciples Jesus addresses a discourse articulated along three basic directives. The first concerns the relationship between the disciple and the “Lord of the harvest.” Indeed, the disciple is not called to proclaim himself, but always and only Christ. Christ is the principle of all mission, but also the one who makes missionary activity fruitful. The disciple is, therefore, called to live in continuous relationship with the master, in faith, grace and prayer.
The second directive requires disciples to travel with the bare minimum of personal belongings, not even a travel bag. They must walk barefoot and not waste time idly chatting with people they meet along the way. All this must have been practiced by Jesus himself, who did not even have a bed to sleep on. When they enter a house that offers them hospitality, they must wish God’s peace on that house. But, if they are not accepted, they must leave without giving the blessing. Moreover, during their stay, they must always remain in the same house, satisfied with all that is offered to them and that they deserve to receive for the service they do. At the same time, they must not go from house to house in search of better conditions and more comforts.
The third directive, once they are welcomed, is about proclamation.

The disciples must bring a twofold message: they must bring healing to all who need it and, then, they must proclaim that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Of course, this Kingdom of God is personified in Jesus himself who will come to these places after his disciples. The Kingdom of God comes when people lead their lives according to God’s will, when they are people full of love and compassion, ready and willing to help one another, to care for the genuine needs of their neighbors and, in general, to share all that one has.
Let us be grateful to Luke, today when his feast day falls, for the wonderful picture of Jesus he has given us in his Gospel and for telling us how Jesus’ disciples, particularly Paul, transmitted the message of the Kingdom as far as Rome, then the capital and administrative center of their world. From Rome their message would spread to the farthest corners of our planet.
Let us too embrace the message of Luke’s Gospel and be ready, even in difficult circumstances, to live and spread it in all situations of our lives.
Fr Joby Kavungal RCJ
San Lorenzo Parish, TREZZANO SUL NAVIGLIO – MILAN