The Lord appointed seventy others
and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and
place where he himself intended to go (Lk 10:
1).
 HESE
WORDS, my Church teaches me, are meant to be as
relevant today as they were when the evangelist wrote them.
But how could they possibly apply to my life? Isn't teaching
and preaching the job of the bishops and the priests, or
even that new crop of Catholic lay evangelists? As a wife
and mother and daughter and sister and working person and
parish member, my life is filled to overflowing with the
day-to-day business of meeting deadlines, honoring
commitments and performing the basic tasks that are dictated
by my various life roles. Where is the time and the energy
to do what Luke seems to be suggesting, to go out and spread
the message of salvation?
 Archbishop
Leonard Wall recently addressed this very issue during a
talk he gave to the young people of our parish who were
assembled to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The
youth, as well as those of us "listening in," were
privileged that evening to hear God's word come alive as the
Archbishop eloquently explained the commission of adult
Christians who receive the powerful gift of the Holy Spirit
through this reaffirmation of their baptismal vows. These
young men and women are now in a unique position to be able
carry the love of God into situations where only they have
access, especially to other teenagers who so desperately
need the freedom and the security of the Gospel in their
lives. Our "confirmed" kids are, primarily in they way they
behave, the very presence of Jesus Christ in their world.
What
a remarkable insight I was given that evening by our
Archbishop who implored us to be his feet and eyes and ears
and mouthpieces in those places where Jesus "intends to go!"
Only
I am able to treat my family with love and forgiveness, to
be attentive and available to my friends, to be of service
in my parish, to behave with kindness and integrity in my
workplace, to be generous and accepting in my neighborhood.
Suddenly
my role as a lay person in the Church took on a new and
tangible meaning. By living the Gospel right where I am, I
am performing an essential service in the kingdom of God,
one that can only be carried out by me by virtue of the
special one-of-a-kind gifts with which I have been endowed
by God. I need to remember that I am surrounded on a daily
basis by people who are seeking the faith and peace and joy
that I often take for granted. To be God's messenger and his
representative is both and privilege and an awesome
responsibility, made possible by the same power invested in
those seventy-two disciples who came back rejoicing (Lk
10:17).
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