The Mystery of Christ
The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience

by Father Thomas Keating

Chapter 4 Part XI

Ordinary Time

The Mission of the Seventy-Two
Part I

   After these incidents, the Lord appointed another group, seventy-two in all, and sent them out two-by-two to go ahead of him to every town and place where he intended to visit personally. He said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray the owner of the harvest, therefore, to send out laborers to do his harvesting. Go now, but mind you, I am sending you out like lambs among a pack of wolves. Do not burden yourselves with purse or bag or sandals and greet no one by the way. Whatever house you enter, the first thing you say must be a blessing on this house. Make your headquarters in just that house and eat and drink whatever they have to offer. Do not be constantly shifting from house to house. Whatever town you enter, if the people make you welcome, eat what is set before you, take care of the sick in the place and speak to the inhabitants on this theme: "The Kingdom of God has finally come to you.'"

    The seventy-two returned in high spirits. "Master," they said, "even the demons are subject to us because we use your name." 

    "Yes," he said to them, "I was watching Satan fall like lightning flashes from heaven. But, mind you, it is I that have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and break the dominion of the enemy everywhere. Just the same, do not rejoice in the fact that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice in the fact that your names are engraved in Heaven."
 [Luke 10:1-9; 17-20]
Gospel of the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    The miraculous haul of fish prompted Peter and his companions to leave everything and to follow Jesus. Jesus then began to train the disciples for their future ministries. In our text Jesus called together a group of seventy-two and sent them out two-by-two, instructing them to preach the reign of God and giving them the power to cure the sick and to cast out demons. The actual exercise of these healing gifts must have been sensational. Perhaps you are familiar with the healing services currently taking place in the charismatic movement and are sometimes attended by thousands of people and often lasting up to five or six hours. Scores of people are often healed. Imagine the intense emotion and enthusiasm building up in such a service!

    The disciples were evidently excited when, after a brief initiation into the reign of God, they were able to heal diseases and cast out demons. They came back in high spirits and poured out their success story to the Master: "The demons are subject to us in your name!" Jesus gently put the lid on their enthusiasm with these words: "It's good to work miracles, but don't get too excited about such things. If you want to know what to get excited about, it's that your names are written in heaven." With these words, he shifted the focus of their enthusiasm from the natural satisfaction of success to what apostolic ministry is actually based upon-- the work of the Spirit within us. Apostolic virtues come not from our natural talents but from a mysterious emptying process in which our talents are put at the disposal of the Spirit rather than of pride.

    The disciples did not know what to do with Jesus' remarks; they had to think them over. It is worth noting that Jesus sent these men out with a special ministry so early in their formation, their fishing nets scarcely out of their hands. In earlier times, it was generally believed that one should spend a long time in preparation for a special ministry, maybe even living an eremetical life for awhile. At the very least, it seemed necessary to go to a seminary or to join a monastery and subject oneself to an austere regime or to a highly disciplined lifestyle for a time. There is great merit in such a structured environment. Many famous missionaries enjoyed that kind of preparation for their ministries.

    But here is the paradox. Whatever the value of such an approach to ministry, it is not the way that Jesus prepared his disciples. His method was similar to that of a swimming instructor who throws his students into the water. Jesus gave his disciples a ministry for which they were totally unprepared, knowing that they would enjoy a success for which they were even more unprepared. In our day many ministries a re-emerging for lay folks that have not existed for centuries--counselors, administrators of parishes, liturgical ministers, justice and peace witnesses, social workers. These people often have to begin their ministries with little or no preparation. One wonders whether we should insist on adequate preparation or put more faith in the way that Jesus launched his disciples-- jump in and see what happens. At least there was no danger of his disciples thinking that their success was due to their study of scripture, theology or the length of their preparation. The inexperienced disciples knew that their success could only have come from the empowerment that Jesus had given them.

To be Continued . . .

More information can be obtained by reading the book The Mystery of Christ by Fr. Thomas Keating.  It is offered in our Book Store.