Sunday Micro Retreat – July 3, 2022
As you begin your time of reflection, try to realize that you are standing on holy ground and that you are in the presence of God who wants to talk to you and who wants to listen to you.
Make the Sign of the Cross. The Holy Spirit is opening your heart and mind so the Word of God that you are about to read can flourish in you for God's glory. Pray that you continue to work with his grace. Let the words or your prayer flow from your mind, through your heart. Try to "feel" what you are saying.
Is there anything that you would like to ask God at this moment? What graces does your heart desire? Talk to God about it.
Today, we ask for the grace of genuine discipleship
Now read the Sunday's Gospel:
The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.
He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.
"Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if someone of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves his wage. Do not move about from house to house.
"Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'" (Luke 10, 1-9)
The Word of God touches everyone differently. If there is anything that really stood out for you in this reading, meditate on it. Go to the depths of your heart and listen to what God is trying to say to you.
Next, let's spend some time with a couple of points that you may consider during this Sunday's Retreat:
1. " The Lord appointed seventy others "
Notice that the disciples are not the only ones that are being sent. The ministry of proclamation is extended to others; it is not limited to a selected few. To appoint someone means to assign a job, a specific role. And as you know, every job comes not only with benefits but also with challenges. Therefore, as Jesus appoints, he calls people to preach the hope of the kingdom, and he is also preparing the missionaries for the experience of rejection. The mission that Jesus initiates is not limited to the "professionals" only. Those who are sent are equipped with various gifts that will allow them to contribute to the various needs during harvest time.
As you reflect on this point, try to do your own "gift inventory." Do you know what your gifts are? How are you using them? Where is God sending you today?
2. "greet no one on the road”
To fully understand this statement, we need to realize that during the time when this Gospel was written, greetings took a lot of time and were time-consuming. Therefore, this statement is not an encouragement to be unpolite or unwelcoming, but it states that long greetings should be avoided as there is higher urgency in the mission of proclaiming the Good News. Simply, the time should not be wasted on something that is just plain talk that leads to nowhere.
Now think about your own meetings with other people and think about the conversations that you have. How much of it is just empty talk that leads to nowhere but only consumes your time? How much of your interactions with others bring peace and hope to other people's lives? Is the Good News embedded in what you say and how you say it? Your words have the power to bring others closer to Jesus. Reflect on it and see if you fully grasp the influence that you have through the use of your vocabulary and your language.
At the end of this meditation, talk to Jesus about everything that 'was born' in your heart during this reflection. Tell him about your feelings, about your joys and fears that flow from this time of prayer. Be honest with him, and be grateful for everything that happened during this hour.
You may end this retreat by inviting your friend to pray with you for your local church so its parishioners become true missionaries in the area where you live.
It is good to keep a personal journal in which reflections that stood out for you are recorded. The outcome of those Sunday Micro Retreats is good material that you can talk about in your spiritual direction.
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