Rejoice, You Are Sent

07-06-2025Weekly ReflectionFr. Augustine Acheme, VC

Jesus sends out the seventy-two in today’s Gospel with nothing but trust. No money, no bags, no sandals- just a mission: to bring peace, to heal, and to proclaim that “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Luke 10:9). It’s a radical call to simplicity and surrender. And yet, their return is filled with joy: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name!”

But Jesus redirects their focus: “Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The deepest joy isn’t in success or spiritual power- it’s in knowing you belong to God. That your name is known. That your life has meaning because it is anchored in Him.

The first reading from Isaiah overflows with maternal imagery of comfort, abundance, and delight. God is not distant or austere- He is a God who carries, nourishes, and comforts like a mother her child (Isaiah 66:13). In a world where so many are spiritually famished, the Church is called to echo that divine tenderness- to be a place where people are carried, nourished, and comforted by God’s love.

St. Paul, in the second reading, reminds us that the only thing worth boasting in is “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). That cross, once a sign of shame, has become the source of a “new creation.” It is what enables us to live with radical trust and to serve without fear.

When Jesus sends His disciples like “lambs among wolves,” He is not romanticizing the mission. He is preparing them- and us- for the reality that following Him requires both courage and compassion. We are sent into a broken world, but we are not sent alone. We are clothed in grace and sent with peace.

Let this Sunday be a call to reclaim your joy- not in your accomplishments or status, but in your identity as one who is known by God, called by name, and sent in love.

The harvest is still abundant. The mission is still urgent. And you are still being sent. Rejoice- not in what you do, but in whose you are.

Fr. Augustine Acheme, VC