DAILY- HOMILY

July 8, 2007
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

ISAIAH 66:10-14C
Thus says the LORD: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her,
all you who love her; exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning
over her! Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that
you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! For thus says the
LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and
the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings,
you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother
comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find
your comfort. When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your
bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD's power shall be known to his
servants.

GALATIANS 6:14-18
Brothers and sisters: May I never boast except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world. For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor
does uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be to
all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. From now on, let no
one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and
sisters. Amen.

LUKE 10:1-12, 17-20
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. 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." The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, "Lord, even the
demons are subject to us because of your name." Jesus said, "I have
observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given
you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full
force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not
rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because
your names are written in heaven."

REFLECTION
A few years ago, a Jesuit priest from India, named Anthony de Mello,
did a satellite television program. It was transmitted to 76
universities in the United States and Canada and involved 3,000
college students in open dialogue. That broadcast got more phone calls
than did any other broadcast that year.

Tony grew up near Bombay, India, in a Catholic family. One day he came
home from high school and asked his father if he could become a
priest. His father said, "No, you're my only son, and I want you to
carry on the family name."

Some time later, after a span of 14 years of having no children,
Tony's mother conceived. When she was rushed to the hospital for
delivery, Tony ran the four-mile distance on foot.

Arriving out of breath, he asked his father, "Is it a boy or a girl?"
His father smiled and said, "Tony, you have a brother!"

Tony said, "Great, Dad! Now I can become a priest!"

There's yet another story. Ann Landers wrote her first advice column
for a newspaper over 30 years ago. Later her syndicated feature
appears in over 1,000 newspapers.

An interviewer asked her once, "What is the question that you are
asked most frequently by your readers?" She answered that it was a
very simple question: "What's the matter with me? Why am I so lonely?"

The interviewer then asked her what the solution to that problem was.
Her answer was, "Get involved! Do something for other people." And the
people who need help are all around you. Everywhere you look, you see
them.

The stories of Tony and Ann Landers relate to today's Gospel. In
today's Gospel Jesus tells his disciples, "The harvest is plenty, but
the laborers are few."

People are looking for help. The problem is that there are too few
people willing to help. Never before in history has there been a
harvest so great. And never before in history has there been such a
need for generous people to step forward and help Jesus with the
harvest.

That brings us to the practical application of all this to our lives.
If you are a young person and want to make a difference in our world,
maybe you should take very seriously the words of Jesus in today's
Gospel. Maybe you should consider doing what Tony did. Maybe Jesus is
trying to speak to you. At the very least, you should do this much:
You should take seriously Jesus' words about the need for workers in
the harvest. You should pray over his words earnestly! You shouldn't
simply dismiss them.

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