Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time [C], July 8, 2007

Readings
Isaiah 66:10-14c
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 or 10:1-9

Calendar
July 14: Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Quotes

The hungry nations of the world cry out to the peoples blessed with abundance. And the Church, cut to the quick by this cry, asks each and every person to hear their brother or sister's plea and answer it lovingly.
Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 3

As Leo XIII so wisely taught in Rerum Novarum: "whoever has received from the divine bounty a large share of temporal blessings, whether they be external and corporeal, or gifts of the mind, has received them for the purpose of using them for the perfecting of his own nature, and, at the same time, that he may employ them, as the steward of God's Providence, for the benefit of others. 'He that hath a talent,' says St. Gregory the Great, 'let him see that he hide it not; he that hath abundance, let him quicken himself to mercy and generosity; he that hath art and skill, let him do his best to share the use and the utility thereof with his neighbor.
John XXIII, Mater and Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress), 119

God asks more from those to whom he gives more.   They are not greater or better, they have greater responsibility.   They must give more service.
Archbishop Dom Helder Camara, The Desert is Fertile

God reveals himself to us as one who is not alone, but rather as one who is relational, one who is Trinity. Therefore, we who are made in God's image share this communal, social nature. We are called to reach out and to build relationships of love and justice.  We cannot call ourselves Catholic unless we hear and heed the Church's teaching to serve those in need, to protect human life and dignity, and to pursue justice and peace.
U.S. Bishops, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching

Thoughts for Your Consideration

We may want to pause for a moment to consider the abundance of material blessings that we have been given.

In the powerful maternal images of the Isaiah reading, we are reminded that there is an abundance of God's love and gifts. As we journey through life, we are called to drop our worries and drop all the extra baggage we might want to carry.   We are called to a great confidence in the abundance of God's gifts. We don't have to worry.   We can live a simple life style.   We don't need always to accumulate more and more. We don't need all the stuff of the consumer culture, since we know that God is abundant in grace. "Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! … I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent." 

Those who study hunger and food security in the world, remind us that there is no shortage of food in the world; rather there is a problem of distribution and justice.   We are right to assume that there is an abundance of God's gifts in the world. It is not a problem of production it is a problem of distribution. We are called to move beyond selfishness to sharing what we have been given.

Jesus calls the seventy-two to go out a proclaim this liberating message. Jesus calls them not to a heavy burden or to an oppressive sacrifice, but to a life of faith and freedom, a life of joy and service. The gospel invites us to consider our vocation to help people open their eyes to the abundance of God's love and to share those gifts with each other.   We are called to proclaim the reign of God  - a reign not based on material possessions or on financial security or on political or military power. The harvest is ready.   The people of the world have a deep desire for the liberating gospel message.

We are called to work for the liberation of the whole world. Jesus calls to share peace and the spirit and reign of God. We are to get excited about the vision of Jesus. From this excitement and love, will come a vision that includes all the particular individual calls which can all be a source of life and freedom and joy (not a heavy burden or a commitment to some big institution, but a source of freedom).

We are all called to follow Jesus and the seventy-two with a deep confidence in the abundance of God's gifts. We are called to work for the joyous liberation of the world and all its people.  

Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group
1. What is the assumption you make in your life? "There will be enough" or "There will not be enough"?
2. Share some experience you have had of scarcity or fear of scarcity and how you got through it.

Actions/Links
July 22 will be the 20th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act which one of the first major pieces of federal legislation to deal with homelessness in the United States. The problem of homelessness in our wealthy nation continues. Family Promise is a non-profit organization which strives to "help low-income families nationwide achieve lasting independence and to redress the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness."  One of their efforts is a program called Just Neighbors, an interactive educational program, raising awareness of the root causes of poverty and homelessness as the first step in establishing community-based responses.   Get more info at http://www.justneighbors.net/

Prayers of Intercession

Response: God, help us to share your goodness and gifts.

For those who do not have enough to eat, we pray. . .

For those who are homeless, we pray. . .

For those who are refugees and immigrants, we pray. . .

For those who do not the opportunity for an excellent education, we pray. . .

For those who experience any injustice, we pray. . .

For those who have a surplus, we pray. . .

For all of us called to share the vision and practice of Jesus, we pray. . .

Prayer

O God, we pray for all those in our world who are suffering from injustice:
For those who are discriminated against because of their race, color or religion;
For those imprisoned for working for the relief of oppression;
For those who are hounded for speaking the inconvenient truth;
For those tempted to violence as a cry against overwhelming hardship;
For those deprived of reasonable health and education;
For those suffering from hunger and famine;
For those too weak to help themselves and who have no one else to help them;
For the unemployed who cry out for work but do not find it.
We pray for anyone of our acquaintance who is personally affected by injustice.
Forgive us, Lord, if we unwittingly share in the conditions or in a system that perpetuates injustice.
Show us how we can serve your children and make your love practical by washing their feet.

Attributed to Mother Theresa