A Few Words On "The Word"

July 8, 2007
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Requiring Your Urgent Attention!!

It's the bottom of the ninth, the fourth quarter, or the 18th hole. Your team is down in the biggest game of the season and it's up to you. You can either make the big play or go home, knowing that you had the chance to leave a legacy. It's now or never! There is no turning back and definitely no second chance.

We're often faced with urgent circumstances. Some of them come in the middle of a game or match but more frequently they're a part of everyday life. Deadlines force us to finish a project; our friends or loved ones become sick and need immediate medical attention; disasters compel us to make split second decisions regarding the lives of others.

The urgency of a situation causes us to stand up and take notice in a new way. We begin to focus intensely on aiding someone in need or solving a problem that we may not have even noticed before. A sense of urgency is important if we're to accomplish our goals.

Last week's readings caused us to focus on the things we leave behind when Jesus calls us to be his disciples. In this week's gospel Jesus picks up right where he left off. He commands his disciples to preach the kingdom of God to those who haven't heard it. However, Jesus doesn't just tell them to go, he gives them specific instructions on how they should act and what they should take with them.

Jesus believed that telling others about the kingdom of God was an extremely urgent task. It's part of why he lived so simply, refusing to let material possessions impede his goal. It's also why he asks us, his disciples, to do the exact same thing.

We often overlook the urgent task we have of spreading the kingdom of God. When we look at our world we can see many pressing issues that need our immediate attention and action. Poverty kills thousands of people every day, in other countries as well as our own cities. The global environment requires our immediate attention if we are to continue living in a world that has limited resources. Other problems, such as inadequate medical attention of treatable diseases, also require us to raise our voices and lend our hands.

Our world's pressing problems are often linked to Jesus' command to build his kingdom. When we help those around us or raise our voices for injustice, we also love our neighbor, realizing that Jesus can be seen in the faces of the sick, the homeless, the injured, and the oppressed. It's time to make our own stand for what is right! It is now or never!

Reflection Question

What kinds of things distract you from focusing on the urgent needs of those around you or the world as a whole?

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