Fr. Michael Williams

It could be said that through our baptism the Lord has appointed each of us to a particular work. Each of one us has a mission to fulfil for Christ. We all have some work to do for the Lord. Just as the seventy-two were appointed to do some work for the Lord, we too are appointed to do some work for him. So what is that work?

Well, the seventy-two that the Lord appoints and sends out are given clear guidelines on what they are to do. These guidelines are for us too. Firstly, he sends the disciples out “in pairs”. The disciples are to work together. They are not to work individually in isolation, but they are to work “in pairs”. Working with others means that we will have to temper our egos. If we only worked on our own as individuals, our egos could get the better of us. Working with others requires listening to the other person. It means having checks and balances.

The Lord also tells the seventy-two disciples, “Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals”. He wants his followers to travel lightly and not to be weighed down by material possessions. Following Christ requires us not to be over-attached to material things. This is not always easy, as our consumerist society places a heavy emphasis on materialism. It’s important that we do not allow material possessions to dominate us and become our masters, for we only have one Master- Jesus Christ.

In this little manifesto that Jesus gives to his disciples, he makes it clear that the disciples are to be missionaries of peace. “Let your first words be: Peace…[to this house…peace to this person standing in front of me]”. The imparting of peace is fundamental to the spreading of the gospel. Many of Jesus’ contemporaries were not for peace. Many didn’t want peace with the Roman occupiers or their Samaritan neighbours. “They wanted an all out war that would bring God’s justice swiftly…and get rid of their enemies once and for all” (T.Wright). But Jesus’ way was different. Evil can only be overcome by good. Let good conquer evil. Let peace prevail.

The Lord also tells his followers to accept any hospitality that they are offered, “taking what food and drink they have to offer”. There is a lesson for me there. I remember taking part in a parish mission for the Legion of Mary in Glasgow. We were visiting all the homes in a run down part of that city. A middle-aged gentleman who appeared quite strange invited two of us into his home. He offered us coffee, which we drank. While drinking the coffee I thought this man could be a Glaswegian version of Hannibal Lector. I could see the lady who was with me also felt uneasy. After talking with the man for some time it turned out he was Jewish, who admittedly did appear to have some psychological problems, but he welcomed two Christians into his home and offered us hospitality. There was a lesson for me there. We need to go beyond our initial fears and suspicions and make friends with other people, who initially we may not want to do. It’s easy accepting hospitality with friends, those people we like, we also need to accept it from the stranger or those we mightn’t see eye to eye with.

The Lord also tells his disciples, “Cure those who are sick and say, ‘the Kingdom of God is very near to you’”. A follower of the Lord is called to bring healing to those that they meet. We may not bring physical healing to a sick person whom we visit, yet our presence can bring them consolation, comfort, and hope. When we care for the sick, we are caring for Jesus himself who is present in the sick. Jesus will say to the blessed on the last day, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world…For I…was sick and you visited me”

The seventy-two who were appointed and sent out by the Lord were Channels of God’s comfort and peace. God’s comfort and peace is to come into the world through his disciples. As Christians called to share in the mission of Jesus, we are call called to bring God’s comfort to the broken people we meet each day. Isaiah speaks of the comfort God will give to his people, “Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you”. Isaiah also says, “I send flowing peace like a river”. But this comfort and peace is to come through Jesus’ disciples. It won’t fall out of the sky. As Disciples of Christ we are to be the channels through which that comfort and peace flow. We are each called to be channels of God’s grace in the world, like those first disciples whom the Lord sent out.