The Gospel for WEDNESDAY, May 11, 2005
Luke 10:17-24
The seventy–two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Look, I have given you power to tread down serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.’ Just at this time, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’ Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them by themselves, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
This story sounds far more like it came from the writers of the gospel attributed to John. It is not a "Lucan" example, employing far more mysticism than we have experienced in Luke to this point.
A Reflection
Jesus' followers -- the little children -- were hearing from Jesus His declaration of their success in this metaphor for us of how the Church would continue to confound the
wise and clever men dominating Israel at that time.
Moreover, the Church would continue its successes into the indefinite future, according to Jesus. We are examples of the success to which Jesus referred. We stumble and fall many times more than we succeed, but each bloodied toe and scraped hand gained in His service promotes the kingdom He preached. Unlike modern schools, we can get an "A" for honest effort.
And we can see and hear what the disciples saw and heard: the kingdom of heaven among us, and Jesus in our sisters and brothers. Only a special "virtual environment" is required. It is the one created by Jesus in our hearts when we admit Him into our lives and embrace his commands to forgive and love and remember him, when we become the little children to whom he referred, we are open to become bearers and channels of grace from His limitless supply.
It is not the learned and clever who by their wits are able to achieve entry into the special place; it is for everyone, a free gift, no strings attached, with a simple three-step process to receive it:
- open the heart,
- open the intellect,
- admit Jesus.
A Collect
Lord Jesus, you rejoice in our smallest triumph over sin and evil; grant us the grace to feed on your Holy Spirit so that we have the power to continue to grow in your love. Amen
8:29:28 PM 
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