Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection October 18, 2024
Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
18th October 2024 (Friday)
Psalter: Week 4
Readings of the Day
First Reading: 2 Timothy 4:10-17b
Beloved: Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defence no one came to stand by me; but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 17-18 (R. see 12ab)
R/. Your saints, O Lord, make known the glory of your reign.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. I chose you from the world that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, says the Lord.
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 10:1-9
At that time: The Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house; eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Friday – Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: To be faithful to our vocation is to live ever for the Lord and do his mission with selfless commitment
1. 18 October is the feast of Saint Luke, one of the four evangelists. He was a physician by profession. He accompanied Paul on some part of his missionary journey. His gospel is known for the touch of mercy and the joy of healing. The most treasured parables of forgiveness like the lost sheep and the prodigal son are found in Luke.
2. The gospel text draws our attention to the sense of mission that filled and animated Luke himself. Some of the fundamentals of the mission can be picked up. First of all, the mission is the work of the Lord and not a private affair. It is he who appoints us and sends us.
3. To work on his mission is to become worthy, hardworking, and faithful labourers in his harvest. It is an enormous task because the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. It is to be lambs among wolves. This implies that we should be prepared to confront the wickedness of the world but remain gentle and uncontaminated.
4. It is to nurture a spirit of detachment, not clinging to material guarantees. For, our greatest equipment is God’s own power and spiritual abundance. It is to be focused on the Lord’s mission, and not get distracted or waste time in greetings and useless talking. There is no time to waste on trivials.
5. Further, our mission is to be ambassadors of peace. It is to give healing to the sick and usher in God’s kingdom
Practice: Mission is not only doing some activity. It is not even to be fully equated with ministry. It comprises a holistic life of a witness
