Daily Gospel Reflection for October 4, 2018

Today's Gospel: Luke 10:1-12 - Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and this Gospel seems to me to be the essence of the Franciscan way of life. Perhaps Jesus' instructions to His disciples inspired Francis. Jesus let the seventy-two know when He sent them on their journey that there would be risk. They would enter communities that would not accept them or listen to them. They would have no creature comforts except what was offered them. They would be "as lambs in the midst of wolves" - without defense. Carrying nothing but God's power, word, trust, and love, the seventy-two were sent on their mission. St. Francis of Assisi aspired to live and preach in exactly this way. The call to a simple trust in God's providence and a commitment to carry out His mission is not some outdated idea with no relevance to the twenty-first-century Catholic. This is a universal call, a timeless mission. Saints like Francis of Assisi found their own way of living it out. We are invited today to make this mission our own.