The Gospel for The feast of St. Luke evangelist is taken from Luke, 10th chapter, first through the ninth verse. The Lord appointed 72 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 in whatever house you enter. First say peace to this house. 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 labor deserves payment.

Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter, 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. The 72 represent the future church communities of people that have an understanding, a way of life that becomes attractive to other people. And they want to know about it and they need to learn about it. And what he’s saying is, there’s healing power in my message and I want you to share it.

But what’s so interesting, it’s not like he sends out these 72 and expects them to reach 50 homes a piece or something. No, you go to one house, a house where someone there understands the peace that comes with the kingdom and build on that person. It’s like the kingdom of God spreads very naturally from one encounter to another, from one conversation to another. It’s a beautiful image of the church and how it works. It’s so organic and natural, and nothing can stop it. After your reflection, I will close with a prayer.

Closing prayer. Father, open us always to the ways in which we can do the work that we are called to do. When we make it somehow too obvious or too intense, it doesn’t work. It’s something that flows from my heart to your heart, your heart to my heart in the relationships that we have. And that’s where it all works. It’s about love, it’s about compassion, it’s about understanding, and it’s not about judgment or condemnation.

So bless us with this gift of carrying your message through our hearts. And we ask this in Jesus name, amen.