Mass Readings for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
- First Reading – Isaiah 66:10-14C: The joy and comfort that the Lord will bring to his people, using metaphors of a nursing mother, a comforting mother, and a flowing river. The Lord promises to extend peace to his people like a river, and his people will rejoice and be glad, with their hearts flourishing like grass.
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 66: All people on earth should cry out to God with joy and proclaim his tremendous deeds. The author praises God for his works and his kindness, and calls on all who fear God to listen to their testimony.
- Second Reading – Galatians 6:14-18: The cross of Christ is important as the means of salvation and new life for believers. Paul declares that he will boast only in the cross of Christ, which has made him a new creation, and he encourages the Galatians to avoid the false teachers who seek to impose circumcision and other works of the law on them, instead urging them to embrace the new creation in Christ.
- Gospel - Luke 10:1-12, 17-20: Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples to go ahead of him and proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God, instructing them to rely on God's provision and hospitality, and to shake off any dust from towns that reject them. The disciples return with joy, reporting that even demons were subject to them in Jesus' name, and Jesus rejoices that their names are written in heaven.
Themes for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
The readings for 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C reminds that God comforts us, even in difficult times. In the first reading we hear that God provides for us in abundance. In the second reading Paul encourages us to rejoice in the cross, for we are united with Christ. In the gospel Jesus tells us that discipleship will involve work and even rejection, but he also tells us to rejoice in our labor.
- Evangelization
- Not traveling alone
- Hospitality
- God's comfort
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
Resources for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Who Lives in Your World? – Discussion and Reflection Questions
This reflection encourages youth to think about what it means to spread the Gospel to “the whole world”.
How Good Are Your Survival Skills? Youth Group Game
In this game, youth are asked to choose what they would take with them in a survival situation. At the end, they use their choices to determine how long they would survive
Homilies and Reflections for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
How Will You Evangelize Today?
From Bishop Robert Barron. We have today a great portrait of the Church—what the Church looks like, what its central concerns are, and what the demands upon it are. The setting is Jesus sending out seventy-two disciples. Put yourself in that position: all of us baptized people are disciples of the Lord, and we’re in a relationship with him. He is sending us out on mission.
Boasting in the Cross
From Bishop Robert Barron. St. Paul tells us in our second reading that he boasts in the cross of Jesus. To any of his hearers in the first century this would have sounded like madness. Paul can boast in this shameful thing precisely because God has raised Jesus from death and thereby placed the world—the realm of hatred, violence, and division—under judgment. Now we must have the courage to leave the world and enter into the new creation, which is the Body of Christ.
Harvest Time
Scott Hahn explains that nothing will harm us as we make our way through the wilderness of this world, awaiting the Master of the harvest, awaiting the day when all on earth will shout joyfully to the Lord, sing praise to the glory of His name.
The Mission
Jesus appoints 72 people to go ahead of him to every town and place he plans to visit, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. He sends them in pairs. In the Law of Moses two witnesses were needed for a testimony to be credible. It was probably also a safer way to travel.
More Thoughts for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Today we look at the life of life on the road with Jesus and his disciples. Yes there are hardships, but there is great hope here also. The disciples have learned from Jesus and they are ready for a mission. They are growing.
They are also becoming more like Jesus. They preach. They heal. "Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name." And they find the work brings them great joy. We too can find joy in discipleship, even when the journey is difficult.
There are some rules for discipleship also. Don't go it alone. Don't draw attention to yourself. Accept whatever is offered to you. If you are rejected, move on. Don't seek revenge. Trust in God.
Reflection Questions for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
- How have I grown as a disciple recently?
- Who do I need to bring the Good News to?
- Where do I find joy in my baptismal mission?
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