July 6, 2025・14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
- Bahay San Martin de Porres
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
Isaiah 66.10-14c・Psalm 66.1+2+4,5+9,16+17 ・ Galatians 6.14-18・ Luke 10.1-12,17-20
We are invited today to reflect on interrelated themes in the context of Christian faith such as inner peace, joy and discipleship. The peace that we must talk about is the kind of peace brought about by truly embracing Christian living, Each one who embraces authentic Christian life understands that identifying oneself to Jesus` Cross is what brings peace. I firmly believe that we all need to really sit or kneel down faithfully to understand how identification to the Cross of Christ indeed brings peace and joy.
Our Gospel reading today tells us that the bringers of this “peace and joy,” the people who are witnessing the joy of Christians, are the true laborers in His vineyard. Christianity, so to say, Catholicism that has started more than 2,000years back is at present has been spreading worldwide. BUT the point is, it is not (it must not be) just about going through the ritual of being baptized. Our second reading today serves as encouragement for us to dig deeper on our faith and on the meaning of our baptism in Christ. It leads us to further reflection about our calling to true discipleship. We are called to transform ourselves towards becoming genuinely/authentic persons and become “a new creation” in the image of Jesus. Most likely, Paul to the Galatians, and to all of us, tells that indeed Christianity (and Catholicism at least in modern setting with its systems and stability in many aspects) is a very effective way to become “a new creation.”
There is always a great possibility that those who will be undergoing through the rite of baptism will increase in number, and can be so huge in number. The Words of Jesus to the seventy two others who were sent two by two best speak about the urgency of true discipleship (becoming “a new creation), that is, “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” It`s not only those who are called to priestly and religious life, but all of us.
Why only few laborers until recently! What could have been the source of our peace and joy that can be a possible reason why the laborers remain few. Our task (calling) as Christians is to be bringers of peace. First of all, we need that peace and inner security. Following Jesus so closely leads us to becoming bringers of peace
Bringers of peace do not weigh themselves with many kinds of baggage for it will just be difficult and may be impossible to gather the harvest well. Inner security is the total opposite of aiming for material possessions. For “a new creation,” inner security takes over unnecessary fears. It is always above status and standing in the eyes of the social individual and community. It is also always above worldly power and worldly influence.
May we finally sum-up that the peace and joy of authentic Christians must be founded in the inner security which no one can take away, Inner security and confidence in following Jesus (who once walked on this earth and suffered and died on the cross, and has risen) so closely give us the stability as sent individuals to many, with hearts flourishing, glad and rejoicing.
