Saturday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 10:17-24

The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, here I am; teach me to pray. You bless those who believe without seeing; help my unbelief! I want to love and be loved by you, so I humbly ask you to show me your love in this time of prayer.

Encountering Christ:

1. Christ Gives Everything: Just a few days ago in the Scriptures, Christ sent his disciples out to prepare the way for him “like lambs among wolves.” They must have been scared, but their experience of Christ’s love for them had driven them to go out anyway. Now, as they came back full of amazement at all they were able to accomplish, they realized that their faith in Christ was well-founded. Christ will always ask us for everything (he is God, after all), but the more we give the more we realize that he takes nothing away, but transforms whatever we give into a greater blessing for us and the world. The Apostles did not know what to expect as they set off down the dusty roads of Galilee. All they knew was that they had never met anyone like Christ. He had filled them with a love and confidence they had never experienced, and he wanted them to give that same experience to their countrymen. He told them they were to cure illnesses, but imagine their wonder the first time they extended their hands over a sick man and raised him in the name of Christ! If they hadn’t obeyed, hadn’t trusted, hadn’t set out, hadn’t met the sick, hadn’t raised their hands in healing, they might have missed the ecstasy of giving glory to God by bringing his love and grace to others. We never know what Christ is going to do with us. All he asks is that we trust and obey.

    

2. Rejoice: Although Christ did not hide from his disciples that they were going to do great things, he wanted them to realize that their greatest gift was not what they accomplished (healing lepers), but who they were (children of God). What an immense gift it is that we have been created, and what an even greater gift that there is a place prepared for us in heaven! We all long for a place to call home, for a place of safety where we are unconditionally loved. Christ has already prepared this place for us, and it is waiting for us after our little pilgrimage here on earth ends. Christ is asking his disciples, and asking us, to keep our faith and confidence in his promise of eternal life, not in worldly success. When that time comes, we draw consolation from Christ’s promise: “Your names are written in heaven.”

    

3. “I Praise You, Father”: There are few times in the Gospels when it explicitly says that Christ rejoiced, and this is one of them. What could Christ have seen in these moments on Earth, so imperfect compared to Heaven, to make him rejoice? The disciples did not let the miracles Christ did through them go to their heads, and their humility filled Christ with joy! Christ loves a humble, childlike heart. When we strive to do the Lord’s will and ask him to bless our successes, along with our weakness, failures, and imperfections, he rejoices.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for revealing your love to me. I want to make you smile, so help me to be more humble, more childlike, more simple. I know you have a place for me in heaven; help me to keep my eyes on that prize, and never let that star be covered by the clouds of the world or my own selfishness.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will give some witness to my faith, be it in word, deed, or example.

For Further Reflection: There is no writer more knowledgeable about simplicity and humility than of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Look for her autobiography Story of a Soul, or a collection of her quotes and prayers.

Riley Connors was born in Dayton, Ohio. He studied classical humanities and philosophy with the Legionaries of Christ. He enjoys running, thinking, praying, and, on occasion, all three.

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, here I am with my guardian angel; teach me to pray. I love you and long to be loved by you. I know you have a message for me today, a message of hope and love. Give me the grace to recognize your gifts in my life, respond to your call, and spread your Kingdom.

Encountering Christ:

1. Greatest in the Kingdom: It’s very human to want to rank or categorize—to try to put some order to our surroundings. The disciples’ question, “Who is the greatest in heaven?” could be understood, therefore, as an innocent attempt to find out from Jesus a little more about who is there, what they do, and who’s in charge. They knew, for example, that Jesus’ Father reigned in heaven, but they knew little else from the obscure references Jesus made about heaven up to that point. They learned by asking Jesus that the greatest are the most childlike. Jesus would return to this theme repeatedly because he wanted them (and us) to embrace and live out the childlike virtues of simplicity, purity, and trust.

    

2. Being Children: Jesus asks us to humble ourselves like children do. Very young children have almost no control over their environment. Without the consent of their children, parents feed them, change their diapers, carry them, put them to bed at the proper time, etc. The most a child can do to protest is cry. As they grow more aware, young children look to their parents to fulfill their needs with an adoring trust. They prefer the safety of their parents’ arms to other family or friends. Deeply reflecting and meditating on the relationship between young children and their parents teaches us volumes about how Christ wants us to behave toward him. Jesus wants to be our shelter and our security.

    

3. We Have Angels: How often do you think about your guardian angel? Every human being has been given a heavenly helper at birth, even unbelievers (Angelus, October 2, 2011). According to the Catechism, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.” (CCC 336) How grateful we can be for these heavenly intercessors, given to us by God to help us and those we love make it to our heavenly homeland!

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you have given me life, marked me through Baptism to become a child of God, showered me with graces through the sacraments, and bestowed on me a guardian angel. May I be ever more mindful of my angel, who stands nearby to guide me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reverently pray the Guardian Angel Prayer: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.”

Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of over thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Luke 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other 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 his 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.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, here I am. Show me your face; show me your love for me. I know that without you I am nothing, and yet you want to give me everything. I want to love you; teach me how. Lord, increase my faith to see the world the way you see it.

Encountering Christ:

1. Christ Sent Them Ahead: Christ was God and needed no one to help him in his mission. Yet, he sent those seventy-two disciples to prepare the towns for his coming, even though they were not particularly well-formed or charismatic. Here Christ was acting like a father who, building furniture or fixing something around the house, invites his young son to help. The son cannot yet do much; in fact, the father could probably do it more quickly on his own. Still, the father’s love for his child makes him want his child to share in the work he loves doing. We are privileged to take part in Christ’s mission to advance the Kingdom of God.

    

2. Sent among Wolves: Christ was honest with his disciples; their mission was not going to be easy. Christ had been teaching them how difficult was the path he followed—“Take up your cross and follow me,” “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,” and “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God”—but up to now the disciples had not really experienced difficulty in the mission. Instead, they had been awed by the string of miracles Christ performed in their presence. As they got ready to go out, he reminded them that, while there would be success, many times they would feel like helpless lambs in the midst of wolves. So it can be with us—the culture he calls us to change will not convert without a fight. We experience the struggle, but armed with the power of God, we engage with people, full of hope that our effort to spread Christ’s love will conquer all.

    

3. Take Nothing: No one goes on a journey without money and some spare clothes, yet Christ asked his disciples to leave these things behind and go “like lambs among wolves.” How often do we think we know what we need to evangelize? How often do we try to do God’s work as we would do an ordinary job? Christ is reminding his Apostles and us that the work of bringing souls back to him is not like any other mission. The tools of evangelization are faith, hope, and love, not money and clothes. Sometimes Christ will ask us to use those material things, but sometimes he will not. When he sends us to help bring others to him without the instruments, programs, and materials we think we need, how do we respond?

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, thank you for taking the time to be with me, speak with me, and pour your grace into my heart. Thank you for the mission you have given me, even though sometimes it is difficult. I want to serve you ever more faithfully. Lead me today; I’m ready to follow.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make an act of faith when I feel the mission is difficult.

For Further Reflection: It may be dense, but the Vatican II document Apostolicam Actuositatem has some beautiful reflections on the apostolate of the laity.

Riley Connors was born in Dayton, Ohio. He studied classical humanities and philosophy with the Legionaries of Christ. He enjoys running, thinking, praying, and, on occasion, all three.