Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist
First Reading: 2 Timothy 4:10-17B
Beloved:
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18
R. (12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Gospel: Luke 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”
NAB
I mean no disrespect to Saint Paul, but his letter to Timothy reads more like one of my afternoon text messages to my husband than what we would expect from Sacred Scriptures. Saint Paul writes that this person only cares about himself, that person stabbed him in the back, that coppersmith was a jerk, and—oh yeah!—"When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments." My version would mention which kids have been talking back, the grumpy gas station attendant, and—oh yeah!—"when you come for dinner at my mom's don't forget the kids' pj's, the library books, and especially my wallet."
It's nice to be reminded that even the every day is important and can be made sacred. It's nice to see, so plainly illustrated in Scripture, how close friendships are important and that even the greatest preachers and saints were normal people who forgot their coat at a party.
How inspiring to see that the mundane little events of life—how we have been hurt in little and big ways, which friends we have been with, what errands we have to run—are important. If you haven't prayed your Morning Offering yet, do so now, inviting Christ into your day to sanctify it, from the sacrificial acts of love to your afternoon s.o.s. text messages.
I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day...Click to tweet
Is there a friendship in your life you've been neglecting? Do you need to reconnect with a sister? Make that step today, after your Morning Offering. Sisterhood helps heal.
photo of Hatch Prints Morning Offering Mug
Bonnie Engstrom is a writer, baker, speaker and homemaker. She lives with her husband and six children in central Illinois. You can find out more about her here.
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