Am I truly a disciple of Christ Jesus my Lord? Am I prepared to leave everything behind to follow my Lord? To be His mouthpiece to share His Will and His love with others. Just as Elisha left everything to follow after Elijah, and as St Anthony left everything to follow after the heart of Jesus. Bringing comfort to the weary, the sick and tending to the poor. Proclaiming the kingdom of God to all who will listen and as they are led into the loving embrace of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.Just as to Jesus’s disciples were sent ahead of Him, to the places He was to go and visit; so too must we prepare the way for Him into the hearts of those who will encounter Him.O Loving Saint Anthony, who tenderly embraced the child Jesus in your loving arms. Grant me an eloquent disciple’s tongue after your own heart. So that I may praise God more profoundly as I lead His flock deeper into the heart of the Lord our God, so that they will experience His great love for them. Amen
First reading
Isaiah 61:1-3 ·
He has sent me to proclaim a year of favour from the LordThe spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives,
freedom to those in prison;
to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord, a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all those who mourn and to give them for ashes a garland; for mourning robe the oil of gladness,
for despondency, praise.
Gospel
Luke 10:1-9
Your peace will rest on that manThe Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’
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