14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025
Sunday Reflections
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First Reading: Isaiah 66:10-14c “When you see this, your heart shall rejoice…the Lord’s power shall be known to His servants.”
Psalm: 66 “Let all the Earth cry out to God with joy.”
Second Reading: Galatians 6:14-18 “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Gospel: Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 “Ask the Master of the harvest to send out laborers for His harvest.”
The prophet Isaiah sees a time when everyone will find their joy in Jerusalem: “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her…exult with her…in Jerusalem, you shall find your comfort.” Do we find comfort in the Catholic Church, the New Jerusalem? Do we exult with her? We ought to find joy in our Catholic faith, joy and comfort: “The Lord’s power shall be known to His servants.” Do we know His power? We should, as we witness His power at every Mass, in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The Real Presence is the real deal – the miracle in which we are privileged to participate at every Mass. Rejoice and exult, for God is always with us!
Today’s psalmist proclaims: “Let all the Earth cry out to God with joy.” And, oh, boy, does this Psalm do just that! “Shout joyfully to God…sing praise to the glory of His Name; proclaim His glorious praise. Say to God: ‘How tremendous are Your deeds!’” Does your heart not dance when you hear these words? “Let all on Earth worship and sing praise to You…come and see the works of God, His tremendous deeds…” Do you praise God for His goodness, His mercy, and His marvelous deeds? Have you seen His wonderful deeds? Can you name them? He is active and Present in our lives, for He made us and He loves us. His miracles are all around us, beginning with the fact that we are alive. He has provided that life to us, and He sustains us in being every moment of every day. “Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or His kindness!” So ends our Psalm for today. Indeed, cry out to God with joy!
The Second Reading comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians. St. Paul informs the people of Galatia that the world has been crucified to him through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that he himself has been crucified to the world. What a shocking statement! Can you imagine feeling that the world has been so radically stripped of importance for you that it is as if you have been separated from it by crucifixion? That would mean that your entire heart is centered on God, for He is better than all the world put together. When He is the king of your heart, you can forsake all the world for Him. St. Paul ends his letter with a blessing: “Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” I pray the same for each of you.
In today’s Gospel, St. Luke relates the commissioning of the 72 disciples: “Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” Yet they were happy to go out to spread the news about Jesus and were ecstatic upon their return. Have you had the opportunity to trust Jesus completely? He sends you out into the world, but His love accompanies us all the time. “I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus promises us that He will never forsake us. What a beautiful comfort this is to our hearts and souls. God is good…all the time! And all the time…God is good!
