＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

2 Timothy 4: 10-17b

You must know that Demas has deserted me for the love of this world:

he returned to Thessa­lonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia.   Only Luke remains with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is a useful helper in my work.   I sent Tychicus to Ephe­sus.

Bring with you the cloak I left at Troas, in Carpos’ house and also the scrolls, especially the parchments.   Alexander the metalworker has caused me great harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.   Distrust him for he has been very much opposed to our preaching.

At my first hearing in court no one supported me; all deserted me. May the Lord not hold it against them.   But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

 

Ps  145  Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 10: 1-9

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place, where he himself was to go.   And he said to them, “The har­vest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest.  

Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.   Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know. Whatever house you enter, first bless them saying: ‘Peace to this house.’   If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person.

But if not, the blessing will return to you.  Stay in that house eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house. When they welcome you in any town, eat what they offer you.  Heal the sick who are there and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’

 

Reflection gospel：

“HE SENT THEM, TWO BY TWO.”

The gospel today describes the sending out of the 72 disciples in pairs, two by two Perhaps, Jesus wants the disciples to understand the importance of mutual help in the mission. They have to see their mission in the context of community.

A priest once shared that as Christ’s disciples, our mission is not individual, but rather communitarian. And we could learn something from St. Luke, the Evangelist, whose feast we celebrate today.

Luke is Paul’s faithful companion in the ministry. He is believed to have accompanied St. Paul in his journey, acting either as his personal physician or his secretary ( amanuensis) particularly when he was in prison.

He is identified as the author of the third “Synoptic Gospel,” which reminds us of the great sacrifice Jesus made through his death on the cross and his Resurrection. Moreover, he is also believed to have written the Acts of the Apostles, which covers the earliest history of the Church after Jesus’ earthly ministry.

As we celebrate his feast, let us ask the Lord to help us fulfill our mission in the Church by deepening our understanding of God’s word.