In contrast to the secular media, the gospel passages are filled with good news. In today's first reading, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a God who is calling all people to rejoice with Jerusalem and to be glad because of her (Is 66:10). Long before Isaiah came upon the scene, the Israelite people knew that they were a chosen people, but over time, they had begun to loose their focus. They had started forgetting the promises made by our God, and where doubt had entered, they were becoming wayward. Isaiah reminded them that the Lord's promises were not empty. In fact, the Lord's promises are enduring. Therefore, even when they heard nothing but discouraging news, God's people have always been able to turn to Him and to be reassured, for our God constantly says to us: I will spread prosperity ... like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent (Is 66:12).
We need to hear these words every day, for they speak of great hopefulness, and our world is so much in need of hope. Jesus knew that the people of his time needed hope as well. That is why our Father in heaven sent him to live among us in the first place. In time, he shared the gift of hope with his disciples and with the crowds who would gather to listen to his preaching. Then, when he felt as though they were ready for the task of sharing the gift of hope with others, the Lord appointed seventy-two of them whom he sent ahead of him in pairs (Lk 10:1). Against the overwhelming influence of the world's pessimism, these chosen ones were sent to various places in order to proclaim God's peace (cf Lk 10:5), to cure the sick and to proclaim the good news of the kingdom (cf Lk 10:9).
Ever since the time of those first apostles, which is to say, the seventy-two who were sent out in pairs, many others have also been sent out into the harvest. Among the first to be sent out were the disciples. In the second reading that we heard today, Saint Paul reminds the early Christians at Galacia that for him, there was no more important task than to boast ... in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ (Gal 6:14) for although the cross had been perceived as an instrument of torture, Christ changed all that in the Pascal mystery.
The task entrusted to the disciples has also been entrusted to us. We who have come to believe that Jesus died on a cross, and then rose again, must never tire of sharing this good news with the world, and it is up to us to find ways of sharing this good news. When others would rather speak of calamities, we must choose to speak of hope. When others try to entice us to look forlornly at the world around us, we must point to the cross and remind them that it is no longer an instrument of torture, but rather a symbol of triumph.
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