The first three Sundays of Easter gives us an image of a Risen Lord making it known to his disciples. On the first Sunday it was John who witnessed the truth of Jesus rising from the grave. On the second, it was Thomas. Third Sunday, Jesus revealed himself to the seven apostles in the shore.
Now, the Ordinary Time gives us an image of Jesus while on earth searching for his disciples. The first Sunday after the Corpus Christi, we see Jesus giving the prerequisites of how it is to be a disciple. On the second Sunday, that was last Sunday, Jesus called and rejected candidates for discipleship. This Sunday is still a continuation of the topic. Now that audition is over, Jesus is instructing the 72 disciples He had chosen on how they should conduct themselves and discussing to them their missions.
What strucks me is the last part when the disciples reported in amazement that they can drive demons in he name of Christ. Christ reminded them that they do not hav eto be intoxicated by being empowered or by the power itself. Their happiness should lie in the fact that they are in heaven already. Their names were already written. It is something we have to remind ourselves of. Are we doing the mission because we are after the merits in heaven or are we doing it to gain money, fame, and more friends?
Purity of intentions is very significant for Jesus. Remember that it is not you who can drive away the demons but the name of Christ. We are simply instruments of His ministry.
That is why knowing God is very necessary in all of these. I have been driving this point all along. If one knows God then one has something to give. The mission requires knowledge of God, knowledge about redemption, knowledge about the good traits of Christianity. We have to increase our learnings about God and who He is so we can have a weapon in the mission.
People will always ask us if God is like this or like that.Who is God, Where He is when people suffers? These are questions a missionary needs to answer. Puzzles a disciple must solve.
Pray for the Lord that He increases vocations to priesthood and religious life. By knowing the qualifications of a disciple, we can grow in honest stewardship and makeourselves anew laborer for the harvest.
Now it is a call and a reminder for seminarians alike not to bring extra or excess baggages, excess weights. Jesus said bring no money bags and other stuffs not necessary. That means that seminarians and all those who are willing to follow the Lord must not bring cellphones, laptops, gameboys that will distract them from the foci. I remember when we were in college, we are not allowed to watch television all the time, only in recreation period. We are not supposed to bring expensive watches and other techno gadgets that may hinder us from the formation.
Jesus said greet no one along the way. Now He is urging his dear seminarians... text and chat no one along the formation years. Too much attachments outside the seminary may lead to being defocused.
Being a missionary of Christ is not easy. Let us pray for those. Let us pray we may be one. Lord increase our Faith.
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