“Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” (Lk 10:3)
FIRST READING: JB 19:21-27
A reading from the Book of Job
Job said:
Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!
Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?
Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;
my inmost being is consumed with longing.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY: LK 10:1-12
From the Gospel according to Luke
Jesus appointed seventy-two other 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 his 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.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day
than for that town.”
THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME-Gospel (Lk 10:1-12)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God the Father teaches His disciples what they should do when they set out to preach the Gospel.
Firstly, God the Father calls on His children to trust and have complete confidence in God the Father; as He is the One who directs and sends us to carry out the mission that God the Father has given and calls on everyone to repent, to abandon the path of sin and to return to Him, because the kingdom of God is near.
God the Father warns every person living in this world that no one knows when we will die; therefore, everyone must always be vigilant, preparing our souls every moment for the day God the Father calls us back to Him.
What is preparation? It is to live well the present life that God the Father calls us to.
To put into practice the path of love, which is to love God the Father above all things and to love our brothers and sisters as ourselves.
God the Father gives peace and happiness to people when we listen to His words and put them into practice.
Secondly, God the Father calls on His disciples: when they set out to preach the Gospel, they must rely on the power and strength of God the Father to descend and work within themselves, so that wherever they go, the light and peace of God the Father will reign there.
Only the power and love of God the Father can sanctify sinful people, helping them return to God, and only the power of God can expel Satan.
As for the prophets or apostles of God, who set out to preach the Gospel, calling people to repentance, they are only instruments sent by God the Father and allowed by Him to cooperate in His plan of salvation.
Therefore, all that God the Father has taught us in the Word of God today, may we do exactly as He has commanded.
Wherever we go, pray and ask God to bless and give peace to that place. Because wherever the light of God is present, Satan will have to retreat.
Today's Word of God teaches the children of mankind to be alert to the temptations of Satan because they are very cunning.
They will find every way to tempt and entice people to live in enjoyment, indulging in sin, forgetting a loving God the Father who is waiting with open arms to welcome us back to God the Father.
Satan will find every way to cover people's ears and eyes, making us unable to listen to God's calling, not alert to Satan's temptations, but only living in the passion of sin and enjoyment. They tempt us by "Living on this earth, just enjoy ourselves, death is the end." That is the wrong way of life, which Satan today is infiltrating to tempt and capture many human souls.
As the prophets of God, when setting out, to warn our sheep not to live in the depravity of sinful passion any longer.
Do not be passionate about the vanities of this world anymore, because they are only perishable things, and will not bring eternal life to people.
We must turn away from them, and return to God the Father, and be reconciled with Him. Make a change in our lives by living with our loving hearts.
Forgive and we will be forgiven by God.
Prepare our hearts in every moment for the day God calls us to be near.
Be awakened to the calling of God the Father, then when the day comes when God the Father calls us out of this world, we will be brought by Him into happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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