XIV Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Is 66:10-14c
Ps 66:1-3,4-5,6-7,16,20
Gal 6:14-18
Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

When we look at what our Lord had asked these seventy-two men to do, we see something that nearly impossible – or at least not humanly possible.  One was to go out into the towns without anything.  First He warns them: “You will be utterly defenseless and you just might be eaten alive. The outlook is not gonna be good.”  After that bleak prediction you would think that our Lord would offer a bit of advice and encouragement, but he just makes it worse!!  “Don’t bring money, don’t bring luggage, don’t bring anything for the journey, and don’t bring anything.  Don’t even ask for help.  Just go and evangelize.  See ya later.”
Another way to look at it would be Jesus goes out to his disciples who are drowning in the middle of the sea.  The disciples look absolutely desperate and afraid.  And Jesus, in the most loving way that our Lord could look at His disciples, tells them, “Here’s something to help you swim and then hands each of them an anvil, “See you at the shore, have fun, ooh. watch out for that shark!” But what is the result?!  The seventy-two return rejoicing!  “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” This is an incredibly fascinating account of disciples casting out demons, healing the sick, and bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to all they encountered.  But have you ever wondered why they were so successful?

On the one hand, it is quite obvious: the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the name of our Lord is just that powerful and compelling.  On the other hand – and I think this has to do a bit with how we as instruments of God must approach this mission – I believe it has to do something with the evangelical counsels.  What are the evangelical counsels?  Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience.  These are the three vows that religious men and women take when they enter the religious life.  Diocesan Priests and Deacons also take a form of these three promises.  But these three promises free one to do the work of God in a unique way.  How does it work?

Imagine yourself going to a foreign land where you can hardly speak the language and you are trying to share the Gospel with them.  What do you think the native people are thinking about you when you arrive?  “These are some strange people, I wonder what they want.  Are they here to conquer us? Are they a threat to us?  Do they want to take our things?  Do they want to rule us?  Do they want to steal our wives and husbands and family away?”  Through these three evangelical counsels – one is able to remove the barriers that may prevent one from receiving the Gospel.

By taking a vow of poverty, missionaries are saying that they are not there to make a quick buck or to steal anything from anyone.  By taking a vow of chastity, they are saying that they are not there to steal spouses or destroy families.  By taking a vow of obedience, they are saying that they are not there to rule over them and make the people subjects or slaves.  In fact these missionaries are subject to someone else – someone greater.  So you can see how these vows break down a certain human barrier and makes a nice bridge to say that they are there for one purpose and one purpose only: to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The humble service and work that these seventy-two did are examples for us who have taken the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience.  There are some that will argue that religious orders, especially priests should get married so that they have the support of a wife and family.  But what does that do?  If I were to have a wife, that automatically eliminates chastity – there’s a big jump from nothing to something and beyond something isn’t that big of a difference; and then poverty is difficult because I would have to support and raise a family; and then obedience?  Well between the parish council and my wife, who am I going to listen to?  (The parish council can’t really make me sleep on the couch.)

The evangelical counsels are there for us as examples to spread the good news but for priests and religious brothers and sisters, we must also be inspired with St. Paul’s words to the Galatians: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.  All of the sacrifices that have been made must be made in cross of Jesus Christ.  When priests and religious have failed in their counsels and left the religious life, it is usually because they have ceased to pray and have ceased to unite themselves with the Cross of Christ.
For all of us, we must take to heart the words of St. Paul and the words of Christ - the words of our Lord.  Though you may not take on these vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; we look to these men and women as examples and models to live a life in imitation of them and of Christ.  This is probably the greatest take away from our scripture today: the example of complete and utter dependence on God for our future and well-being.  If we have nothing, we have nothing depend on but God.  Everything is seen as a gift from Him.  Our lives would be a lot easier and filled with a lot more thanksgiving when we see all the things around us as gift rather than taken for granted.  We don’t have to be dedicated missionaries to try to live this way – but a simplicity of life makes life easier especially when we are called to preach the Gospel to all nations; every one of us!

As you follow step by step and day by day in Him, you will find yourself living out these virtues in a very special way.  You will find yourself less attached to material goods and status.  You will find yourself open and obedient to God’s will in your life and also find yourself less stressed with those things that are hanging over your head. And finally, you will orient yourself in chastity: to love yourself and to love others as what is proper to your state in life: having good temperance of the fleshly appetites of not only food and drink, but also carnal desire.

When you see yourself growing closer to God through prayer and through these virtues you too will see Satan fall like lightning from the sky.  Therefore, let us be inspired but the examples of our religious brothers and sisters, our priests, our deacons, and bishops.  Let us be inspired by the saints that have gone before us with the heroic virtues that they model.  Let us be inspired by and led to the Cross of Christ so that we can draw our strength from Him.  Let us humbly approach the sacred meal of the Eucharist as that source of strength for our daily life – our daily bread for ever and always.