RENUNGAN – MINGGU BIASA KE-14 TAHUN C
Reflection for 14th Sunday In Ordinary Time Year C (5th and 6th July 2025)
First reading: Isaiah 66:10-14
Second reading: Galatians 6:14-18
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12,17-20
This weekend missal reading theme is ‘Christ Our Peace’.
The peace of Christ which we celebrate today should leave it’s mark on us so that we become messengers of peace of all around us. This weekend readings explore how Christ brought peace, mercy and love of God because of His faithfulness, sacrificial work and message of Good News to us all.
In the 1st reading from Isaiah, God promises the ruins of Jerusalem will be restored, for God listens to the prayers of His people. God would again bring peace and glory to Jerusalem. Just as a mother comfort a son, so would God bring comfort back to Jerusalem. We have witnessed of Christ coming, as the anointed one to the people of God, the descendants of Abraham, the promises of redemption and salvation through God’s grace and great love.
In the 2nd reading on St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he believed that it was because of Jesus Christ purpose while on earth was to fulfil the will of the Father and to undertake the mighty task of redemption through bringing the Good News to all and suffered for the sake of our sins by dying on the cross. The Lord Jesus great love and willingness to carry this cross should made us understand of the inner being, a total dependent on God alone and His Father’s will. It is not the physical look of outside such as circumcision that made us right in God’s sight but it is the inner self of us, the conversion of oneself towards loving God and faithful to all His commandments as well as offer our lives to serve God, that makes us justified. When St Paul said having the marks of Jesus on his body, meant that he was willing to endure the scars and sufferings as a result of evangelizing the Good News to others and it was all done because of the commitment to serve God. Christ’s peace brought consolation, with the promises of eternal life to all who are willing to take up the cross. St Paul encouraged us to lift up our own cross and serve God willingly for which we should be pride to do so.
In the Gospel reading of Luke, the Lord Jesus had appointed 72 among the disciples and sent them in pairs to the towns and places to greet and bring peace to these folks’ houses as well as announced that the Kingdom of God is near at hand. Besides evangelizing through words, they were able to perform miracles of delivering the people of the devils’ spirits possessions. The number 72 (or 70 in certain texts) is significant as it means all the people of all countries, a sign of completeness emphasizing for us that the Good News should reach out to all nations and nationality and not just to the Jewish, but to Samaritans and Gentiles as well. God’s peace and salvation are given to everyone who accepts them.
Working in pairs as the disciples of Jesus did, also tells us that we must have the team work and support in all our ministry of the church when we spread the Good News to others. When we evangelize to others, there will be times we will rejoice of the acceptance and positive impact we made but many times we would equally faced rejection, brutal remarks and even suffered consequences of distancing from others. In the midst of our ministry, we should always call upon the support from one another especially the guidance of our advocate, the Holy Spirit, which Jesus has granted us all. In spreading the Good News through sharing the love and salvific work of Christ, being faithful is more important than the achievement of success alone. Just as Christ told the appointed 72 disciples, rejoice not because the miracles you did but that your names are written in heaven, for putting themselves at risks despite knowing the dangers, signifying of their obedience to the call of God to evangelize the Good News.
As we reflect today the theme of ‘Christ Our Peace’, let us claim that very ‘Peace’ that Christ has offered to us when He entered our homes and our hearts. It is this ‘peace’ that God has abundantly gave to us since in the beginning of time and continues to shower us the blessings of peace because we needed Christ peace to enable us to rejoice always in the Lord, when we carry our own cross in life, when we put ourselves in full submission to God’s will or when we face challenges and shortfalls. This peace will flow and make us stronger and persevere in trials.
Just as St Francis of Assisi said the “Channel of Your Peace” prayer, we too ask for God’s guidance to be an instrument of peace, love, forgiveness, and hope to others and the world, and through selflessness and service to others.
Amen.
Prepared by Cat. Fredie
