Reflection on the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We began this Eucharist with a hymn focusing on the Holy Spirit, one that speaks deeply to our faith in the transformative power of the Spirit, reminding us of how the Spirit works within us to change hearts, minds and actions. This Spirit of hope and courage transformed the early followers of Jesus into an inclusive, missionary community, lives on fire, proclaiming the Good News with boldness, with unity of faith and the power of love. We can’t get too tired to also do what they were called to do.

Jesus wanted his disciples to enter into a “spirituality” of ministering to God’s people in ancient Israel, being of “one mind and one heart,” planting the seeds of God’s word, going out into the fields, inviting communities to know him and his teachings. The disciples wanted all to first understand: “It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me.” And then, because we hear the same call from Jesus, we are called to “cooperate, through unceasing conversion and self-donation, in the life-giving mission of Jesus, who acts in history through human initiative.”

How to prepare the people? The disciples needed compassion and grace to meet the challenges and dangers which awaited them. There were even times when the disciples wanted to send the people home. “We cannot heal so many, we cannot feed so many, we cannot listen to so many. We are tired.” But Jesus’ message, which they finally carried out, is all about building a community of peace, forgiveness and healing. We can’t get too tired. 

That is what Luke’s Gospel is all about:  the stories of how Jesus and the disciples related to tax collectors, those despised Samaritans, the lepers, widows, the sick, the poor, the lost. In other words, they spoke to what we know is the heart of the Gospel message to anyone who would listen.

In this time of Pentecost, we are invited to reflect on how the Spirit continues to inspire, unify and send us – over and over – to do mission wherever we are. And we can be sure God is right there with us as we seek peace, build bridges, stand in solidarity and live as witnesses to Christ’s reconciling love in a broken world.

On Pentecost, Pope Leo told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, “The Holy Spirit overcomes fear, she shatters inner chains, heals wounds, anoints with strength and grants us all the courage to go out to all and proclaim God’s mighty works. Let us work together to build a society where every person can thrive, and no one is left behind.”

Is our call to be proclaimers of the Word different from the early disciples? The disciples could not preach the message of love unless they were living it. Nor can we. They knew they needed each other to do it. They needed community so that together they could join Christ on the journey of bringing healing and hope to a hurting world. Perhaps the Spirit is leading us toward something deeper that we do not yet know. We just can’t get too tired.

Bishop John Wester of Santa Fe,N.M., said it well, “ Unless the Church stands up for the poor and marginalized of the nation, consistent with Catholic teaching, its moral voice will be diminished in the future. There are times when the Church needs to forsake religious considerations and take a stand, even if that effort is unsuccessful. This is one of those times.”

May the Eucharist we share today take us deeper into God’s spiritual harvest. As the Risen Jesus told his followers and us, “Now that my Spirit dwells within each of you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ready.”