by Deacon Randall Ory | July 10, 2025 1:00 am
But friends, let us not miss the forest for the trees. The truths that Jesus is sharing with us go beyond the literal meaning of those terms. Jesus is calling us to announce the kingdom ahead of him. And you just like the disciples of old and in no way different. You are its herald. You and I are being sent. There is no one else.
The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Go on your way.
About four weeks ago, you probably remember we celebrated the Feast of Pentecost, which was the culmination of the Easter season. And then the church in rapid succession gave us three wonderful solemnities, right… of the Holy Trinity, of the Body and Blood of our Lord, and last week of Saints Peter and Paul. Powerful post Easter celebrations.
But now we’re really, fully settled in. Get used to this color because for five months, yes, July through November, will be in that wonderful season of Ordinary Time, the season of green, the season in which we meditate on the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus. Settle in, but do not get comfortable.
Now the Church of our Lord—the Catholic Church—has many lovely images and designations. You know them. The Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the New Vineyard. And on this Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear a new one, maybe a new one to our ears. The Church is the New Israel of God.
Today’s description of the church follows a very rich but familiar pattern of seizing upon an image from the Old Testament and then bringing it to new realization in Christ to a fullness in him. We heard even in the last few weeks this particular example, that Jesus is a priest after the Order of Melchizedek. And St. Paul on a couple of occasions calls Jesus the Second and New Adam. This is how our sacred scriptures function in general. Everything is summed up in Christ. Everything reaches fullness in him.
Tonight, our first reading is from the prophet Isaiah. We hear of Jerusalem, the great city, the city that the people were deported from in the tragic Babylonian captivity. Jerusalem was and is an actual city. Of course, still is. But for us, Jerusalem is a sign, a sign of the church, sign of the new Jerusalem. Now, notice with Jerusalem from our reading, her people not only mourn for her, but are glad because of her. It’s a lot like life, right? The mourning and the gladness sit alongside of each other. But they mourn and they are glad because they receive their sustenance from her. Friends, that is the same for us. This is our relationship to Holy Mother Church. As nurslings, we are carried in the Church’s arms and we are comforted by the teachings of the Church.
Then our second reading from St. Paul to the Galatians, the great apostle who we just celebrated last week. He has this interesting line and it’s easy to miss in our reading. He says that peace and mercy are with those who follow this rule. But he doesn’t really say what the rule is. He assumes they know. But the rule is not some legal obligation. The rule is what’s called the regula fidei—the rule of faith. Simply put, the rule is the sacred tradition of the Church. And so, St. Paul is saying for those who follow the holy and sacred tradition of the Church, peace and mercy upon you. And friends, we are immersed in the church’s teachings, her spiritual life, and her liturgies. And we can have the expectation, a holy expectation, that peace and mercy will accompany us. So, Isaiah and St. Paul are describing the graces that reside in the people of the Church, in the people of the New Israel of God.
But now we turn outward as we hear the words of the gospel. We just heard them drawn from Luke, chapter ten, the very beginning of a very long section in Luke. In fact, it’s unique to Luke’s gospel. This long ten-chapter section that has healings and has miracles, but it’s mostly teachings. And guess who the teachings are directed to? Disciples. Guess who the teachings are directed to? You.
The gospel opens. You just heard it. He sends Jesus sends the Seventy-two and he sends them to places he intends to visit. It seems as though what is being said is that the disciples are Jesus’s advance team. And so, if you are a disciple, you are part of that advance team. Even still.
Now, we must acknowledge that some of the language of tonight’s gospel seems a bit dated, seems a bit archaic, at least upon first hearing it. Like this notion of carry no money bag or have no sandals. Where are we going to put our credit cards and our gym membership cards and our insurance cards if we have no money bag? And no sandals. Have you walked on the lawns of East Cobb with so much chemical on our lawns? And the idea of going house to house and staying a while that violates every Southern courtesy, every Southern etiquette. We don’t even like some family to stay too long. And we’re being called to stay in people’s houses.
But friends, let us not miss the forest for the trees. The truths that Jesus is sharing with us go beyond the literal meaning of those terms. Jesus is calling us to announce the kingdom ahead of him. And you just like the disciples of old and in no way different. You are its herald. You and I are being sent. There is no one else.
So, what for us, in closing, as we hear in today’s gospel, see yourself as going ahead of Jesus, speaking the word, throwing the seed if you will. Someone else will water behind you. The Lord will cultivate the heart because it is only the Lord who implants the desire for him in our heart. Not you and me.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals. Jesus is saying travel light. Don’t get mired in possessions. Be nimble. Don’t be clingy to stuff.
Third, Jesus says, “You’re being sent like lambs among wolves.” That’s still true. And friends, that powerful imagery is very vividly true. We should be characterized by peace and Christian civility. But the wolves of discouragement, the wolves of turmoil, the wolves of adversity and hatred, these cannot and must not cause us to compromise our call.
Finally, our message is the kingdom of God is near. But the reason the kingdom of God is near is because the kingdom is Jesus, bursting into the world through the kingdom. And our calling is to announce this to others and to invite them into the peace and mercy of the kingdom of God and of the imperfect people of God.
You and me. We are missionary people. And see if this sounds familiar. the people of God fully alive, rooted in Christ, reflecting his love and mercy. So, you don’t need to throw away your wallet or your purse. You don’t need to throw away your shoes or your sandals. What matters is most is your Baptism because the graces of your Baptism have no expiration date. You are still called to be a disciple even now. And to go. To go. The last word of every mass is go. Go and announce the gospel of the Lord. Go and glorify the Lord by your life… because Jesus sent them before and Jesus is sending you now.
#NothingHasChanged.
Isaiah 66:10-14 | Psalms 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 | Galatians 6:14-18 | Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 or 10:1-9[1]
Image credit: “Sermon on the Mount Altarpiece” (detail) | Henrik Olrik[2], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Deacon Randall Ory serves the people of the parish of St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Views and Opinions expressed are his own.
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