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Gospel Reading for October 18, 2024 – Luke 10: 1-9
FORERUNNER
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.'”
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In pairs they went to every town and place that Jesus intended to visit, meaning, they were sent to prepare for Jesus’ coming. They had to be very simple and had to give greetings of peace to the households they enter. He gave them authority to cure the sick in the households with the announcement and assurance that: “The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.”
To be a FORERUNNER of Jesus, we have to be like him. We simply have to pave the way for him and promote his teachings, so that when the person we are preparing finally encounters Jesus, there would be no conflict or confusion. Of course, we can never be as perfect as Jesus, but we can be his best EMISSARY.
St. Luke the evangelist, pray for us as we celebrate your feast today!
