Readings: Isaiah 66:10–14; Psalm 66; Galatians 6:14–18; Luke 10:1–12, 17–20
Grace, mercy and peace to you my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today is the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.
In today’s Gospel, we have the account of how Jesus sent out seventy-two others to join in His mission – the mission of teaching, healing and saving souls.
In this beautiful passage, I want us to pick and reflect on three messages:
I. The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few
Dear friends, what Jesus said to the disciples is still true today. The harvest is indeed plentiful – many souls still do not know Christ, and many people are living in darkness, in ignorance, and in search of meaning, truth and love. Many are bound by addictions, fear, sin, and guilt. Many are crying silently, broken within. So many are waiting for someone to lead them to Jesus or to bring Jesus to them.
God is still in the business of calling and sending labourers. Labourers are not just priests, deacons and religious men and women (even though God is also calling urgently for this). God is also recruiting people who, in whatever place or vocation they are, are willing to work as His instruments.
Let me share with you five kinds of labourers that the Lord is seriously calling for or calling us to become:
1. Teachers of faith and defenders of the truth – people who know and teach the authentic teachings of Christ and His Church, and who can stand up to the flood of confusion and error around us.
2. Prophetic voices – those who speak truth to power, who confront injustice, corruption, immorality and systemic evil, and who echo the voice of God in a world overwhelmed by noise and deception.
3. People who minister healing and peace – those who use their gifts to bring hope, encouragement, and comfort to the wounded, those who live with a missionary mindset, conscious that they are sent by God wherever they are – in schools, offices, clinics, marketplaces and homes.
4. Peacemakers – those who preach, practice and plant seeds of unity and reconciliation, those who promote healing in families, marriages, parishes and communities, those who speak words that heal, not words that divide.
5. True witnesses – those who simply live out what they believe. The world is hungry for real Christians – not just people who go to Church, but people who live like Christ in character, speech, and conduct.
Ask yourself today:
Am I one of these labourers?
Or am I idle in the vineyard?
What has God given me that I can use to bring others closer to Him?
II. Carry no money bag…
Jesus’ instruction to the seventy-two was very specific: “Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals. Greet no one on the road. Eat what is set before you.” These words may sound strange, but they are deeply meaningful.He was teaching His followers vital virtues for Christian life and mission:
Contentment – which leads to gratitude and protects us from jealousy, envy, and rivalry.
Simplicity – which saves us from the burden of materialism and unnecessary stress caused by greed and covetousness.
Detachment – which gives us inner freedom and makes room in our hearts for God. Detachment saves us from the bondage of being possessed by our possession.
Trust in God – which is the foundation of peace. It strips us of self-reliance and keeps our eyes on God. The disciples were to trust God for provision, protection, direction, inspiration and empowerment.
In the First Reading, God promised peace and restoration to Jerusalem — but the “how” was not for them to worry about. That was God’s business. Our business is to trust Him; He is faithful and reliable.
Ask yourself:
Am I clinging too tightly to possessions, titles, ambitions, or approval?
Am I truly free to follow God’s will? Do I live with simplicity, or do I complicate my life unnecessarily? Do I trust God to provide or am I relying only on my human calculations?
III. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven
When the missionaries returned, they were filled with joy because they had succeeded in a task they had felt unqualified for. Like the Psalmist, they could say: “Come and hear, I will tell all that He did for my soul.”
They rejoiced that even the demons submitted to them. But Jesus, in His wisdom, redirected their attention: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
This is a profound lesson. Too often, we find joy in success, wealth, fame, degrees, beauty, likes, applause, or power. But all these fade.
True and lasting joy is found in doing God’s will, in being called and able to serve faithfully in His mission, in being known by Him, in being written in His book of life.
St. Paul reminds us in the Second Reading that his boast is not in worldly achievements but in the Cross of Christ. That is where joy is found: in sacrificial love, in walking in God’s will, in being united with Christ.
Ask yourself:
What do I celebrate most in my life? Is it about me, or about Him?
Am I more concerned with human praise or heavenly approval?
Is my name known in heaven?
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of the harvest and the Master of the mission.
You have called us to labour in Your field, to trust You with our lives, and to rejoice in what truly matters. Help us to be faithful workers, content pilgrims, and joyful witnesses. Deliver us from pride and self-reliance. Make us bold prophets, true peacemakers, and authentic Christians. Above all, may our names be found written in heaven and may our lives lead others there.
Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on July 6, 2025