1st week of Advent, Tuesday, St. Francis Xavier – 03rd December 2019 — Gospel: Lk 10,1-16
Offering God’s hospitality in our Mission
In his instructions to the seventy disciples, Jesus provided detailed guidelines as to how they were to conduct their mission. These instructions are similar to those already given to the twelve: lightness of equipment, reliance upon hospitality, etc. The missionaries who go before will be vulnerable – like lambs sent among wolves. Like Jesus (4,18-30) they will experience both hospitality and inhospitality, acceptance and rejection. As missionaries, they are called to put the service of God first, and to remove any obstacles or distractions that might prevent them from fulfilling Jesus’ mission. They are to proclaim the peace of Christ, the customary greeting that stands for salvation, perfect happiness and the deliverance which Risen Messiah would bring. The narrative also prepares Christian missionaries for the rejection that will inevitably be their lot as emissaries of kingdom. Rejection of the missionaries is also rejection of Jesus, the One who was sent into the world to offer the hospitality of God. Rejection is painful, but God’s grace can overcome it and ultimately win through.
