At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. Luke 10:1
Jesus had many followers who were deeply devoted to Him,
abandoning everything to serve Him and to cooperate in the fulfillment of His
mission. Oftentimes we give most of our attention to the Twelve Apostles when
we speak of Jesus’ first followers. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus sent
seventy-two disciples to go forth to all the towns that He would soon visit.
Think about that for a moment. Seventy-two is quite a few people. These would
not have been casual followers of Jesus. Rather, they clearly were people who
were all in and fully committed to Christ. To them, Jesus entrusted the mission
of preaching and gave them authority over demons.
Try to imagine organizing and sending forth seventy-two
different people. Jesus would have come to know these disciples personally,
witnessed their faith firsthand, taught them at length, and recognized that
they were ready to fulfill His sacred mission. We should also presume that
there were many others who were His faithful followers but were not yet ready
to be entrusted with divine authority and sent on a mission. Thus, the movement
that Jesus started was truly transforming for many people during those first
years of His public ministry.
The same is true for us today. Jesus is not finished
sending missionaries on mission. He continues to gather a vast army of servants
whom He calls close to Himself, with whom He establishes a very personal
relationship, teaches, forms, bestows with special graces and charisms, and
then sends forth to continue His apostolic work. Are you among those who are
ready to be sent forth by our Lord?
One way to test your readiness for the mission of Christ
is to consider the command that Jesus gave to these seventy-two. He said in
part, “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.” In other
words, our Lord was telling them that His mission required sacrifice, courage,
trust in divine providence, and single-minded determination. His mission is not
for the casual follower. It’s for those who are serious about their faith and
do not hesitate to do all they need to do to get ready to fulfill Jesus’ divine
command.
Reflect, today, upon whether you are ready to fulfill the
apostolic mission Jesus wants to entrust to you. Are you willing to sacrifice
everything for this mission? Are you courageous enough to do whatever He calls
you to do? Do you trust that God will provide for you so that you can
accomplish the task He has given to you? And are you single-minded and fully
determined? Do not hesitate. Place yourself at the service of our Lord and
await His glorious calling in your life.
My glorious Lord, You have called countless people to Yourself, formed them by Your grace, bestowed Your gifts upon them and sent them forth to touch many minds and hearts. Please use me, dear Lord, to accomplish the task that You wish to entrust to me. Form me, use me and send me forth as You have done with countless others before me. Jesus, I trust in You.
