THE WORD THIS WEEKEND

This weekend at Catholic mass we hear a passage from Luke's Gospel in which Jesus is acting as a coach.  I've done some coaching in my time and I know how hard it can be. 

Jesus calls his team together, 72 men selected for a job.  He divides them into 36 pairs and gives each pair a different destination.  They are to carry His word to these places. 

Jesus instructs the men on what to take with them, what to do when they arrive and how to conduct themselves while there.   Like any good coach, he also prepares his men for contingencies - what to do if you are not received well. 

When the men returned to Jesus, the were filled with joy and spoke with amazement at how wonderful the experience was.  It was a winner's locker room.

This weekend, all who are at church are there to listen to the coach; receive his words of encouragement and his instructions.  Leave the church for another week with your goal - the last thing said will be something like "Go and spread the word of God."  . . . and come back next week for more instructions. 
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