Disciples of Christ: Models of conviction

	Word to Life  Dan Luby

During a recent visit to New England, my wife and I spent several days in New Hampshire, traditionally home to one of the "make-or-break" primaries in the presidential election cycle.

Everywhere we went we found evidence of multiple campaigns in high gear. Every newspaper, every local newscast featured the candidates, household names and long shots, appearing at a dizzying variety of venues.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday, July 8, 2007) Isaiah 66:10-14c Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20 Galatians 6:14-18 Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday, July 15, 2007) Deuteronomy 30:10-14 Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37 or Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11 Colossians 1:15-20 Luke 10:25-37

And for every gathering with potential supporters - at pancake breakfasts in diners, giving speeches in VFW halls, shaking hands at "meet and greet" cocktail parties in people's homes - each candidate was preceded by what political pros call an "advance team."

Advance teams travel ahead of their candidate to prepare people for his or her arrival and ensure a friendly reception and an enthusiastic turnout for the picnic, town hall meeting, or fish fry.

In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus commissioned 36 "advance teams" for a similar purpose, sending them "to every town and place he intended to visit." Like the political advance men and women of today, Jesus' disciples were tasked with preparing those they met for the day when Jesus himself would come to them and invite them to be his disciples too.

Unlike today's political operatives, however, Jesus' advance teams did not rely on phones banks and direct mail and the sophisticated machinery of mass communications to accomplish their tasks. These disciples were told, in fact, to travel light, relying only on the power of their message, the sincerity of their generosity, and the inspiration of the Lord Jesus to accomplish their mission.

	Reflection question • What is one specific way I can be a more effective witness in my circle for the truth and power of the Gospel?

The 72 whom Jesus sent are models for all of us who are his disciples today. Everywhere we go, our conviction of the deep, abiding presence of God's kingdom, made evident by the generosity and compassion to which that conviction moves us, prepares people for a more open hearing of the Gospel and a deeper, more personal encounter with Jesus himself.

This column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.