WHAT MATTERS MOST

 

WHAT MATTERS MOST

There is movement in today’s Gospel narrative. Called, appointed, and sent “in pairs,” the “seventy others” went to “every city and place where He Himself was about to go.” It is the story of mission, as gripping as the 1986 award-winning film The Mission. In that story written by Robert Bolt, one of the missionaries evaded death by captivating the natives when he played the oboe on top of the Iguazu falls. It was a case of wonder-working, no less.

Today’s Gospel passage speaks of the same wonder-working tasks given to the seventy-two: healing the sick is one of them. Luke’s passage begins with what appears to be the most important: to “ask the Harvest Master to send workers to the harvest.” And all the rest followed. It was a case of lambs being sent among wolves right from the start. The story recounted in The Mission was exactly that, even if the wolves did not really come from the once savage natives but from the politics at that time—between the two powerful forces of Portugal and Spain.

Wonder-working, says Rabbi Sherwin, is what is missing in religious leaders today. The perception that it is no longer present explains the decline of religious leaders’ influence in the world of our times. And if certain individuals are popular and enjoy a wide following, it is precisely because they are perceived to be modern-day wonder-workers.

I would like to take my cue from today’s Gospel passage. Luke begins with the most important and most effective wonder-working tool: prayer. He reports factually the call of the Lord: “The harvest is rich, but there are few workers. Therefore ask the Harvest Master to send workers to the harvest.”

I am convicted. Many of us priests would rather do things than be quiet and still in front of the Lord. We want to do great things but in the process miss out on doing real wonders. We do lots of great things, but today’s saint, Therese of Lisieux, did wonders while seemingly doing nothing. She just did what mattered most—not great deeds, but love. Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

----------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

What matters most to you in this life?

Dearest Jesus, may I learn to be still in Your presence each day. Amen.
Today, I pray for: __________________________