by Fr. Tommy Lane
In the Gospel (Luke 10) when Jesus sent out the seventy(-two) their first words were to be, “Peace to this house.” (Luke 10:5) Surely then every time we meet God, we should have more peace. Every time we meet God in prayer, we should have more peace afterwards; we should be uplifted. If we do not have more peace after praying, if we do not have more enthusiasm, this seems to suggest that we are not meeting God at a deep level in prayer and we need to review how we pray. When we pray, we should be meeting God in some way and so be more at peace as a result. God has absolutely nothing to gain from you being unhappy or unwell. There is a saying: the soul that lifts itself up, lifts the world up. God wants you to be at peace and to be happy.
When Jesus sent out the seventy(-two) he prepared them for the fact that not everyone would accept their message of peace. He told them if they were not welcomed to wipe the dust of the town off their feet when leaving (Luke 10:10-11). We have a choice, to accept or reject Jesus’ offer of peace, to accept or reject Jesus’ offer of life and love.
Jesus wants you to be at peace. He sent out the seventy(-two) with a message of peace. He prepared them for the fact that not everyone would accept their message of peace. Unfortunately, some people now also reject Jesus’ offer of life and love. If we reject Jesus’ offer of peace and love, we certainly will not find peace anywhere in the world. Our only hope for peace is the peace of Jesus: “Peace I leave you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give.” (John 14:27)
Copyright © Fr. Tommy Lane 1998
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More homilies for the Fourteenth Sunday Year C
Related Homilies: The Seventy(-two)