July 6 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Throughout the ages, people have established references by which to evaluate their surroundings. These standards are also indicative of what each era considers important, valuable and respectable. Nowadays, what is the “table of values” by which we judge something?
In relation to social media and other current “news” media, for example, how can we fail to notice that content, authenticity and even probity are relegated to a secondary plane or often sacrificed just to obtain a greater viewership and thus be considered “important”? It no longer matters what you are or what you do; it is all about appearing. Quite different, however, is the school of apostolate that the Holy Church proposes to us in today’s Liturgy.
In the Gospel for this 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Our Lord Jesus Christ sends His disciples on their first apostolic mission and, in His recommendations, warns them against the tendency to place their trust in the goods of this world: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals” (Lk 10:4). It is not important to have or appear; it is necessary to be. Even the object of their preaching indicates its transcendence: “say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you”’ (Lk 10:9). The apostle’s central concern is not to be liked or accepted by his listeners, but to preach the Good News.
At the same time, Jesus teaches them how they will become, in a way, the judges of those to whom they preach – if they do so with authenticity: “Whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you. [..] I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town” (Lk 10:10-12).
However, when the disciples returned from their mission, the Divine Master perceives the danger that threatens their souls: they rejoice because they had worked miracles, cast out demons and cured the sick, but they run the risk of confusing their external success with the victory of the Kingdom of God. Success does not always indicate that the work of the apostolate has been carried out as Jesus desired; depending on where the applause comes from, it could even be a bad sign. This is why the Saviour concludes: “Do not rejoice in this, because the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in Heaven” (Lk 10:20).
How often are we led to give our adhesion to something just because it is being used, commented on and spread by everyone? In this way, we end up establishing as a judgement criterion not what things are, but the acceptance they have in the world. It is even worse if we make our mission as witnesses of the Gospel dependent on human applause, even if we have to sacrifice eternal truths and the state of grace to do so…
In this Gospel, Our Lord Jesus Christ shows us that, if we truly want to draw souls to God and increase the number of sons and daughters of the Holy Church, it is essential first and foremost for us to concern ourselves with our sanctification, because only when our names are written in Heaven will we give the authentic witness of life that announces that the Kingdom of God is at hand. ◊
