After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.” (Luke 10:1)
The major theme for this 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on our missionary duty of sharing with others the joy of our true identity, which is being the sons and daughters of God, and our Catholic faith by our Lord’s instructions on how to accomplish our mission of evangelization, realizing our true vocation.
We remember last Sunday, the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we discussed about the urgency of fulfilling God’s will in our lives, proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel to the world and the importance of sharing our Christian faith with others, coming from our identification of who Jesus really is for each one of us and our personal relationship with the Lord. Moreover, Jesus reminded us on last Sunday that once we have started this work or ministry, we should give all of ourselves to it, putting all our attention and energy into the tasks, and must not look back with uncertainty, vacillation or dissipated energy in order to accomplish and produce abundantly many good fruits to glorify God.
Today’s readings continue last week’s theme in which the Lord gives us some concrete and specific tips or guidance in helping us to fulfill our essential duties and true vocations for Evangelization.
Evangelization means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel itself. At its essence are the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ and the response of a person in faith, which are both works of the Spirit of God, transforming the faithful one into the image and likeness of Christ through an ongoing conversion process of a life changing experience by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Evangelization happens when the word of Jesus with the grace and power of God speaks to people's hearts and minds, when people accept the Gospel freely, as the "good news" it is meant to be and produces fruits of changed lives and a changed world, full of holiness and justice, spirituality and peace.
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to evangelize the world, to fulfill our missionary duty and to accomplish God’s will in our lives to glorify God.
How can we help each other continue to evangelize and carry out the preaching mission of Jesus?