Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time_C - Busy As a Bee_070322

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Busy As a Bee”

 

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

In today’s gospel Jesus gives his disciples some instructions before sending them out to the towns and villages he intended to visit. He tells them “Go on your way; behold I am sending you like lambs among the wolves. Carry no money bags, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way…” It’s no wonder “the laborers are few!” And yet, surprisingly, 72 responded to the call; 72 brave souls willing to venture out into the world, materially unprepared in every way to confront the challenges they were sure to meet along the way.

What a test of faith. Imagine these disciples starting out on a journey with no money, no carry-on, nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? But that’s the urgency that Jesus gave to his ministry – announcing the Good News that the Kingdom of God was at hand and it is also a great sign of Jesus’ trust that his disciples would be provided for. People longed to hear this message and Jesus was eager to spread the word that indeed Kingdom of God had arrived. “Be as busy as a bee” seems to have been Jesus’ mindset in spreading the Good News. Nothing was more important, so no need to waste time with the things of this world…money, baggage and extra clothes. God will take care of everything. God will provide; He always does.

We all could take lessons from these first eager co-workers of Jesus by ourselves trusting in God more and relying upon our possessions less; trusting in God’s Divine Providence and care and knowing he is always by our side, especially when things seem to not be going our way. What a wonderful world it would be if we could dedicate our lives to promoting the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed as we went about our day-to-day activities; if we were his laborers tilling the fields. We would truly have reason to rejoice as we too would drive out the demons in Jesus’ name, the demons of poverty and ignorance, the spirits of want and greed, the delusions of those seeking power and authority over others for their own selfish gain. With the love of Jesus in our hearts we might overcome the racial, political and economic issues of our times that divide us and cause so much bitterness, suffering and even violence. It really doesn’t take much effort on our part to be a willing co-worker of Jesus, a simple “Yes, Lord” will do, and then placing our trust in God’s Divine Providence. Oh, would that not lead to “heaven on earth?” Yes, we would have reasons to rejoice and be glad for all the good things we could do in Jesus’ name, if, and it’s a big if, we choose to abandon our own vestiges of power and go about our daily business with the only things we need, the Minds, the Hearts and the Love of Jesus, our Lord.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Visit my blog at: www.deacontomwrites.blogspot.com

And tune into the www.deaconspod.com to hear a contemporary Catholic conversation exploring the treasures our faith has to offer

Recommended Reading: Discipleship for the Future by Fr. Frank DeSiano, CSP provides a vision of Christian spirituality for both those who are actively practicing their faith and those who are on the periphery of our churches.

Recommended Podcast: Where Peter Is Podcast presents contemporary topics of interest to keep Catholics informed about our faith.