14th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Luke 10:
1-12, 17-20
July 7, 2013
After this, the Lord appointed seventy [-two] others 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 moneybag, 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 his 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.’ Whatever town you enter and
they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we
shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than
for that town.
REFLECTION: The Mission of the Dominican Laity
Today’s gospel is often referred to the lifestyle
of priests, religious sisters and missionaries. We sometimes tend to forget
that we, lay people are partakers of the three-fold mission of Jesus on earth:
Priestly, Kingly and Prophetic, by virtue of our Baptism. Nevertheless, this
reminder of Jesus applies to us, too.
Jesus, the Son of God is the second person of the
Trinity. He is God in the real sense of the word and that He has powers. Yet, He
delegated some responsibilities to us to proclaim the Kingdom of God, to
proclaim the Word. He already chose 12 of His companions but we are lucky to be
chosen to collaborate with His ministry.
“The harvest
is abundant but the laborers are few.” In today’s modern world, people are
more concerned about earthly treasures that, most of the time, we miss the real
essence of life on earth. Everyone wants to be the leader of the pack; no one
wants to do the dirty job. The Lay Dominicans are tasked to follow the
footsteps of our Master, to proclaim God’s Kingdom in every corner of the
world. I remember a listener who called up my radio program and was put on air.
She told me, “I want to be a member of
the Dominican Laity, but I don’t have time to attend meetings, recollections
and retreats. I am quite busy with my business which is fast growing.” I
replied, “I’m sorry sister, but you can’t
have the best of both worlds.”
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| Photo Credit: abscbnpr.com |
To be a Lay Dominican does not necessarily mean you
will have to enroll in a Theology class or rub elbows with the Bishops for you to
gain popularity and wisdom. Like Jesus’ advice, “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals...” A follower of Christ
needs to acknowledge his nothingness, thus, a craving for wisdom. He needs to
open his whole being to be transformed by the Master into something that He
wants. A follower needs to study and learn his basic faith. He needs to live
his faith and share it with the rest. We will all be sent out in the forest
like lambs among the wolves. Your only defense is the Word. Remember, you
cannot give something that you don’t have.
A Dominican should be a reflection of Christ’s
holiness. His presence should always be a sign of Peace to all. An emblem of
truth. A pillar of a strong spirituality. We will all be sent out in the midst
of the wolves of this world, be strong. Fear not ,my brothers and sisters. The
first reading tells us that, “As nurslings, you shall be carried in her
arms, and fondled in her lap, as a mother comforts her child, so shall I
comfort you…” Weak as we are, we become strong, knowing that God is with
us, proclaiming our faith and the truth till the end of the earth.
We look forward to coming back to the folds of the
arms of the Father like the seventy-two, rejoicing, proclaiming, we have run
the race to the last. After all, Jesus promised, “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”.
In the second reading, let us all be reminded that
our presence should always be a blessing to others, not a curse. I tell you,
having those two letters after your name is no joke, it is not easy. Much is
expected of us.
Remember the two (2) letters attached to your name?
O.P. (Order of Preachers), it also means ONWARD PRISONERS of the Lord.
ABOUT THE SHARER:
To listeners, BROTHER JUN BANAAG, O.P. is the one and the only Dr. Love. Before becoming the doctor of the love-troubled, Dr. Love
started as a newscaster of DZEC in 1969 and from there, he moved from one
station to another. He was offered a position in ABS-CBN and pinch-hit for Noli
de Castro on TV Patrol and Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas. Upon his
return to the Philippines from the United States, he continued his career in
media and worked as a production director for Radyo Veritas and joined DZMM in 1999, hosting the Dr.
Love Radio Show.
Furthermore, Bro. Jun is a lay preacher and professed member
of the Dominican Laity or the Order of Preachers. He also helps the
underprivileged through the "Jun M. Banaag Foundation Inc."
KEYWORDS:
Ordinary Time, Cycle C, Dominican, Laity, Faith,
Holiness, Truth, Peace, Spirituality, Mission
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