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Gospel Reading for October 04, 2025 – Luke 10: 17-24
TRULY EXEMPLARY
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.”
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The 72 disciples were rejoicing over the success of their mission, especially having the demons subjected to them, but Jesus tells them to rejoice because their names are written in heaven. All the power given to them were not for them, but for the success of their mission. How important it is to be childlike when we are called to do important tasks in the mission of the Church. The very important trait of a child is humility. One cannot be successful in the mission if we do not recognize that we are but INSTRUMENTS of God.
Today, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, whose following of Christ is TRULY EXEMPLARY. Although he was born wealthy, he had a profound religious conversion while a prisoner of war, and later abandoned his wealth for a life of poverty as his way of committing himself to Christ. And, he did not stop at being in solidarity with the poor and the sick, but he also fostered a deep love for nature and creation, always seeing God in them. His love was inclusive, knowing we all share the same Creator. Because of this, on November 9, 1979, the late Pope John Paul II gave him the title, “Patron Saint of Ecology.” On October 4, 1226, two years after receiving the stigmata, St. Francis died. His life inspired not only people around the world but Franciscan Congregations mushroomed, such that of all religious orders, statistics say that Franciscan Orders collectively have the most members within the Catholic Church.
The annual ecumenical celebration, Season of Creation, which is about stewardship and care for our shared planet which started on September 1 and ends today, has as its theme: “Peace with Creation.” How very important it is for us human beings to take care of God’s creation because they were created to support human life. If we do not take care of them, we are bound to be on the losing side.
Let us reflect on the song, BUHAY KO’Y PARA LANG SA `YO –
`Di maintindihan ang aking pakiramdam
kahit sagana ang buhay.
Tila may kulang pa sa daming kayamanan,
pamilya at dami ng kaibigan.
Nang Ika’y matagpuan sa aking puso,
sulit ang panahong naghanap sa `yo!
Itulot mong `di na mawalay pa sa `yo
`pagkat natagpuan kayamanan ko.
Kahit may tagumpay `di sapat kasiyahan,
kulang sa lalim at halaga.
Kahit anong gawin,
mundo ma’y mapasakin,
`di madama angking kapayapaan.
Nang Ika’y matagpuan sa aking puso,
sulit ang panahong naghanap sa `yo!
Itulot mong `di na mawalay pa sa `yo
`pagkat natagpuan kayamanan ko!
Itulot mong `di na mawalay pa sa `yo
`pagkat ang buhay ko’y para lang sa `yo!
Para lang sa `yo!
