Like Lambs Among Wolves

October 18, 2008

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist

[T]he Lord stood by me and gave me strength. 2 Timothy 4:17

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. Luke 10:2-3

Piety

St. Luke, you revealed Jesus to us through his words and his actions.

Help us to build our lives the same what Jesus did:

With a concern for those who are marginalized;

With the piety exemplified by Mary Elizabeth, Zechariah, Anna and Simeon;

With willingness to accompany Jesus on his journey and then undertake our own;

With the attitude of generosity to share all that we have; and

With an approach to leadership as the embodiment of the servant.

Amen.

Study

Jesus would never put into our hands more than we can handle. Nor, as the friend that he is, he would never ask us to do something he has not already done. Sometimes we sense that shared mission in his words. Other times, we get confirmation of that reality in his actions. In reading today’s scriptures, two thoughts related to this occur to me.

First, the reading from Timothy is the epitome of “churchiness.” Standing with each other and supporting each other is really what this effort is all about. Jesus asks us to stand by each other. He knows why that is important because Jesus benefitted from those supporters around him and he knew rejection as he suffered alone.

Jesus surrounded himself with disciples who stood by him and gave him strength. In the end, the closest disciples and friends deserted him. A Jesus hung on the cross, supported physically only by the nails in his hands and feet, at the foot of the cross stood his mother and a small group of friends supporting him spiritually until it was over. They stayed at his side until the end. Jesus knew the importance of this support and instructed us to work with each other. This support is important for another reason: there are too few workers in the vineyard. So let’s help each other.

Furthermore, Jesus was sent as the lamb from heaven into the pack of wolves of the world. The wolves doubted him, tested him, arrested him, tortured him, deserted him and killed him. God could have kept Jesus in heaven at his side – a lamb among lambs. But Jesus accepted his missionary calling to “go on your way” into our world. He wouldn’t send the disciples out into the world to “go on your way,” without intimately knowing from personal experience what they would face. Isn’t standing in his presence top serve what we do when we offer Palanca to each other?

Action

Thursday night begins the Men’s 117^th Cursillo at Missionhurst. Take a few moments this weekend to prepare you Palanca for the candidates listed here. Palanca may be sent to any team member at the address on the page or the rector, dropped off at Missionhurst, or sent to Jack Finnerty (before October 23).

Mañanita: will be at Missionhurst, Sunday, October 27, at 7:00 a.m. Quietly gather at 6:45 AM at the gates of Missionhurst. Please be mindful of the neighbors at that hour. Angel Phil Kiko will meet us and escort us to the Mañanita area.

Closing: There will be NO MASS at Closing. Closing will be at Our Lady, Queen of Peace, 2700 South 19th St, Arlington, Virginia, 22204, 703-979-5580 (directions below). Please be seated by 3:45; closing will begin at 4:00 PM. The clausura will be in the Fr. Ray Hall, immediately behind the Church, at the conclusion of the Closing Ceremony. Food and beverage donations may be dropped off in the Hall before the closing. Please bring substantial food, rather than snack foods, to share for the reception. At the end of the reception, community assistance to clean and straighten the hall would be appreciated.