Scripture:
Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
Luke 10:13-16
Reflection:
To follow Jesus, and take up His Cross means "I take responsibility." Luke 10 begins with Jesus sending the seventy-two disciples to the harvest. The harvest is people finding their own "call" and responsibility because we are faithful to our commitments. No matter in which situation I find myself today, is not the cause of much of our pain and suffering due to the results, when I do not take responsibility? So we are sent, in the wake of so much chaos due to irresponsibility, to make a difference through living the Christ-values which counter the self-centered attitudes, that perpetuate "the way it has always been done." Going against the grain of the way things are in our society, we will know that it is the Will of God being done. When we face into "the storm" from which the voice of God addresses Job, who has lost everything and is powerless, we will know that even though we may be acting out of weakness, we still choose to do something. The condemnation of the cities of Chorazin and Beathsaida are that they did not respond, in the face of their own storms, and did not recognize God’s voice and power in their midst.
Today, we will be lead to those for whom the promises of God were made: abundant generosity, life, mercy, compassion and justice. Yes, like the Seventy-Two, He sends us out on mission to make a difference in the lives of those for whom there is no apparent hope. Yes, we meet the usual obstacles caused by the fear of the unknown in answering the call to serve "the poor" who cross our path.
Fr. Alex Steinmiller, C.P. is President of Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham, Alabama.