14th Sunday, Ordinary Time C. July 8, 2007

Scripture: Isaiah 66:10-14. Psalm 66:1-7,16-20. Galatians 6:14-18. Luke
10:1-12,17-20. Lectionary # 102:

The Balitmore Catechism had the following line that seems to fit the
Scriptures for today, " God created us to love him and serve him and to be
happy with him in this life and in the next." Some of us may remember
those consoling words; and, if you do not, just read today's passages for
the liturgy of the Eucharist and you will see that happiness and joy are
the theme for this Sunday. We start with the great and last chapter of the
third part of Isaiah (called Trito-Isaiah and written by someone many years
after the time of the prophet). In reading this we find the Israelites
rejoicing in Jerusalem and the Temple while God uses maternal imagery to
bring home the joy and happiness that those coming into the city of
Jerusalem for a festival or just a visit. Jerusalem is described as a
motherly figure nursing her child after having delivered a healthy baby.
Jesus may have had this passage in mind at the last Supper when he tells
his disciples, "Amen, Amen I say to you, you will weep and mourn, but the
world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.
When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when
her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy
of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now, but I
will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your
joy from you." (John 16:20-22). In our response after this first reading
from Isaiah, we find a sense of happiness and joy both collectively as a
people and also as individuals as we sing, "Let all the earth cry out to
God with joy!" Are not our lives meant to be happy and joyous? Should we
not thank God for the gift of another day to enjoy God, neighbors, family,
friends, and nature? We can do this if we have the enthusiasm and passion
for living that Paul has as he centers his life on those things that deepen
his joy and peace. He assures us that his life in Christ has made his
burdens lighter and his sufferings tolerable because of the great love he
experiences from Christ. He boasts in the Paschal Mysteries of the Lord
that he has been immersed in through his Baptism; all other rituals now
pale in comparison for him. Finally, the Gospel shows us the seventy or
seventy-two disciples returning with great joy. They are happy because of
their success in preaching and healing. Jesus too is happy for them and
reminds them that the best is yet to come for their names are written in
heaven. We can take this Sunday as a time for enjoying some leisure from
our regular weekday routine. Prayer and the Eucharist can bring us to the
deepest levels of peace, joy, and happiness both as families, communities
of faith, and as individuals. So again we too can sing the response, "Let
all the earth cry out to God with joy." Amen.