HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF ST. LUKE, EVANGELIST. (3)

HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF ST. LUKE, EVANGELIST.

THEME: Life’s a Journey.

BY: Deacon Bill Frere.

HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OCTOBER 18 2022.

Gospel – Luke 10:1-9

Life’s a journey. I can’t begin to count how many times I have heard that line and how many people have voiced those words. But after all these years, I guess I have to admit that it’s true. And not just for me. Just think about all the different paths we have all taken, all the twists and turns we have made, deliberate or not. All the many roads we could have stayed on but instead turned left or right or even stopped and just turned around.

Looking back on my life, I could have stayed home in the countryside of Southern Maryland and taken over Dad’s country store and post office. I could have stayed in the seminary and served as a priest in Mississippi or Alabama. I could have finished college in Maryland instead of moving out to Chicago. I could have continued my job in retail sales (ugh). Different life, different wife? And you all have similar stories! So many forks in the road; so many choices! And yet here you are; here we are! I truly believe that, as much as I don’t get to always go where I want to go, God has always taken me where I need to be, where He needs me to be!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends out His disciples, 72 of them, on a journey, a missionary journey to spread the Word. This was a real physical mission and He gave them very specific instructions on what to bring, what to do and how to handle situations and rejection.

But not all of us are called to that physical journey; not all of us will be traveling to other towns or even countries to spread the Word. Many of us are called to spread the Word right where we are and with the people we interact with on a daily basis, to share the Gospel message simply in our words and actions, in how we treat each other day in and day out.

Is it any wonder then that we celebrate today the Feast of St. Luke, the author of today’s Gospel. He was a physician by trade and a Gentile convert. Tradition tells us he was also the writer of the Acts of the Apostles as well as the travelling companion of St. Paul. He literally put into practice Jesus’ instructions to His disciples. He did go out into the world! He did spread the Word and preach the Gospel! He spent his life in witness with his words and his actions. His words today challenge us to do the same! Jesus has given us our instructions. We need only to follow them in faith!