Humbly submit your will to God (thy will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power
‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy
and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Today, Jesus reveals to us the power of His name, all parts of the Trinity, those chosen to reveal to us the Good News, and how blessed the disciples were. After the 72 went off with “no money, no sandals, no extra tunic” and preached Jesus Christ, they were amazed that they could heal the sick and cast out demons. This teaches us that we do not need material goods to evangelize and share the Good News. God will always prevail, we must see through the curtain of deception and lies the devil puts in our minds. God is joy and joy is in us, let it shine through. We are baptized, set apart for a special mission just like the 72 and have the same power of the Holy Spirit in us. Believe and share your joy. Today, Jesus mentions the Trinity, three persons in One Divine God and how much the Father and Son love each other and work together for our salvation.
The Holy Spirit was among the disciples and is among us now. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance and an increase in the gifts and fruits you have obtained through Baptism and Confirmation. Jesus reveals to the disciples how blessed they are and how blessed we are because their eyes have seen and ears have heard Jesus (every knee shall bend in the heavens, on the earth, and below the earth to His name). Today, as disciples of Christ we see Jesus in the Eucharist and when we read and listen to the Scriptures we hear His Word (No wonder God made a commandment for us to come receive these things once a week). He is in each one of us. We too are blessed. Be joyful, share Jesus through your example and if needed through words (St. Francis). Thank God everyday for loving us so much He came down to us and walked among us. Thank Him for sharing the Good News so that we may be saved. If we choose to respond to His Word. May we rejoice like the 72 who left with nothing but came back full of joy and fulfilled; the desire of every heart!
Today’s challenge: Use Jesus’s name in prayer, not cursing. Recognize Jesus in each person you meet today especially the less fortunate or those who are different than us.
We need to understand that it takes time and effort to get to heaven and believing in God is a huge part of that.