Sending the 72: How You Can Answer the Call to Love

Jesus sends the 72 disciples out this week in our Gospel passage proclaimed at Mass. The 72 are very much like us - a group gathered by Jesus Christ to carry out the mission of proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples one home at a time. Like the 72, we have been called to do great things for the glory of God. And like the 72, we will rejoice in the many good works God does through us (and there are many!). However, let us heed the warning of Jesus Christ at the end of the passage after the 72 return victorious over the evil they vanquished: "Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Just finding success in life is not enough. We were made to share in the life of Jesus Christ now and forever. Ours should be an eternal perspective. As a parish, for all the good that we may do, our focus everyday must be to answer the generous call of the love from Jesus Christ to our vocation of holiness. Each of us is called to first be faithful, not successful. It is from fidelity to God that truly good fruit that will last is born. That is why our efforts in our Open Wide the Doors to Christ Capital Campaign are going to be measured not by whether we can build needed facilities, but rather, by whether we grow in holiness as disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us do all for the glory of God. Like Our Blessed Mother Mary, may our souls magnify the Lord and not ourselves. Saint John Paul II, pray for us!