Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist
October 18, 2024
Today’s Readings:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101824.cfm
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.”
Luke 10:3-9
Our first reading reveals a young Luke who, by his faithful accompaniment of Paul, is already dedicated to the spread of the Gospel.
Our Gospel defines those choices a true disciple must make in order to sustain such dedication: simplicity, selflessness, peace, practicality, mercy, faith.
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We ask Jesus to strenghten the gift of discipleship in our hearts that we may be, in our times, what his followers were in his.
Prose: from “The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
So long as Levi (Matthew) sits at the receipt of custom, and Peter at his nets, they could both pursue their trade honestly and dutifully, and they might both enjoy religious experiences, old and new. But if they want to believe in God, the only way is to follow his incarnate Son…Had Levi stayed at his post, Jesus might have been his present help in trouble, but not the Lord of his whole life.
It is only the call of Jesus which makes it a situation where faith is possible…a situation where faith is possible can never be demonstrated from the human side. Discipleship is not an offer we make to Christ. It is only the call which creates the situation.
Music: Brothers (from “The Mission”) – Ennio Morricone
Lavish Mercy 