And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the
Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs
among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of
those you know.
Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of
peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return
to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be
paid. Do not move from house to house.
When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are
there, and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’
Reflect
I’ll let you in on a secret: the Gospel of Luke is my favorite Gospel. I love that it begins
with the story of Jesus’ birth and that it gives so much attention to people who are
usually ignored, especially the poor and women. We don’t know a lot about the
evangelist apart from the fact that he traveled with Paul on some of his missionary
journeys. There are some traditions that claim that Luke was a physician and that
some of the information for his Gospel came from the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It is easy to believe those traditions about Luke because his Gospel is marked by
such a strong sense of compassion. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus calls his followers
to a life of love and mercy. He even forgives his executioners and the penitent thief
on the cross.In the Gospel, God calls all disciples of Jesus to work for the abundant
harvest of mercy. To what field are you being called?
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023