Fourteenth Sunday Homily in the Ordinary Time Year C

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

Is 66:10-14      Gal 6:14-18     Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 (or 10:1-9)

Peace and Rejoicing

Missionary Christianity; Faith; Universality of the Gospel Message.

Introduction for the Fourteenth Sunday Homily in Ordinary Time, Year C

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, today, on the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C, the Word of God invites us to rediscover the heart of Missionary Christianity—a faith that is not confined, not limited to boundaries, but is meant for every person, every culture, and every corner of the earth. The message of salvation is universal.

Jesus, in sending out the seventy-two disciples, as the Gospel reminds us today, teaches that the mission is not for a select few but for all believers. Each of us is called to be a witness—to carry the Gospel through words, actions, and love. Our faith is not merely for personal consolation but a torch that lights others’ paths.

This missionary calling requires faith, courage, humility, and the recognition that we are instruments of God’s peace. As laborers in His vineyard, we share the good news that God’s kingdom is near—an invitation for every human heart to experience His love, mercy, and salvation. Let us reflect today on how we can live as true missionaries of the Gospel in a world that longs for hope and truth.

Religious Jokes and Humor

1st Reading – Isaiah 66:10-14c

Thus says the LORD:
¹⁰ Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her! Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort,

¹¹ that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts!

¹² For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap;

¹³ as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem, you shall find your comfort.

^14C When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.

Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

² Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
³ Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

⁴ “Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
⁵ Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

⁶ He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
⁷ He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

¹⁶ Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
²⁰ Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

2nd Reading – Galatians 6:14-18

Brothers and sisters:
¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

¹⁵ For neither does circumcision mean anything nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation.

¹⁶ Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God.

¹⁷ From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Alleluia – Colossians 3:15a, 16a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
¹⁵A Let the peace of Christ control your hearts;
^16A let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel – Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

¹ At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.

² He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

³ Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

⁴ Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.

⁵ Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’

⁶ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

⁷ Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another.

⁸ Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you,

⁹ cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’

¹⁰ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say,

¹¹ ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.

¹² I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”

¹⁸ Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.

¹⁹ Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.

²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

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Moral Story: The Little Lamp in the Dark Village

Once upon a time, in a remote village nestled between mountains, there was no electricity, no roads, and no access to the outside world. The villagers lived in darkness, not only physically but also spiritually. They had never heard of the Gospel, nor did they know the message of love and hope.

Far away, in a bustling city, a young missionary named Samuel felt a call in his heart after reading the verse:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

Samuel’s friends tried to stop him.
“Why waste your time? They are too far. They speak a different language. They won’t understand.”
But Samuel replied, “Light is meant to be shared, not hidden.”

With a simple oil lamp, a Bible, and a heart full of faith, Samuel traveled days and nights through rivers, forests, and mountains. When he arrived, the villagers were cautious and afraid. But Samuel didn’t preach with big words. Instead, he began helping them—cleaning, teaching children, treating the sick, and planting crops. His actions spoke louder than words.

One day, an elder asked him, “Why have you come all this way to help strangers like us?”
Samuel smiled and said, “Because God’s love is not just for my people, but for every person on this earth. His love is like this lamp. The more we share, the brighter the world becomes.”

Gradually, the villagers opened their hearts. Samuel taught them about Jesus, forgiveness, love, and hope. The village that was once dark, both in body and spirit, began to shine—not because of electricity, but because of the light of faith, unity, and the Gospel message.

Years later, that little village sent out its own missionaries to other nearby places. The light continued to spread, proving that the Kingdom of God truly belongs to all nations, all tribes, and all hearts willing to receive it.

10 Bible Verses for the Theme

(Missionary Christianity, Faith, and Universality of the Gospel)

1. Luke 10:2 – “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

2. Mark 16:15 – “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

3. Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

4. Romans 10:14-15 – “And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?”

5. Acts 1:8 – “You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”

6. Isaiah 6:8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

7. 1 Peter 3:15 – “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you.”

8. 2 Timothy 4:2 – “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season.”

9. Revelation 7:9 – “A great multitude… from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne.”

10. Psalm 96:3 – “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.”

10 Religious Jokes Related to Mission and Faith

1. Pastor: “Why didn’t you come to the missionary meeting?”
   Little Johnny: “I was busy practicing ‘going into all the world’… on Google Maps!”

2. A missionary asked a child, “Do you know what faith is?”
   The child replied, “Yes, it’s believing my Wi-Fi will work before I even check it.”

3. A priest told his congregation, “We are all missionaries.”
   A man whispered to his wife, “Does that mean I can finally travel… to the fridge?”

4. Jesus said, “Go into all the world…”
   The modern Christian replied, “Does sending a WhatsApp forward count?”

5. Missionary recruiter: “Would you like to serve in remote places?”
   Volunteer: “How remote? Like without pizza delivery?”

6. Pastor: “You should spread the Gospel.”
   Parishioner: “I do. I share Bible memes every day.”

7. Why did the missionary take a ladder?
   Because he was called to “reach higher for the Lord.”

8. A missionary prayed, “Lord, let me be your hands and feet.”
   He heard a voice reply, “Then stop sitting and start walking!”

9. Kid at Sunday school: “Teacher, if we are supposed to spread the Word, why is church Wi-Fi so bad?”

10. Evangelist: “Brother, are you saved?”
    Man: “Saved? I haven’t even downloaded the app yet.”

10 Sayings/Quotes by Great People on Mission, Faith, and Universality

1. St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

2. Mother Teresa: “Faith in action is love—and love in action is service.”

3. Pope Francis: “Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people.”

4. Billy Graham: “The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service.”

5. St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Go forth and set the world on fire.”

6. C.S. Lewis: “Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.”

7. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others.”

8. David Livingstone (Missionary): “God had only one Son and He was a missionary.”

9. John Wesley: “The world is my parish.”

10. Hudson Taylor (Missionary): “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”

Homily

One of the most beautiful words in the English Language is “peace”. Peace isn’t merely the absence of war, and isn’t limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. It is “the tranquility of order”; it is the work of justice and the effect of charity (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2304). And it makes demands.

In fact, the history of humankind seems to be the story of its wars. Of the 3,400 years of recorded human history, 3,166 were years of war and the remaining 234 were years of preparation for war. The United States was created by war, has a constitution that calls for the funding of its military to fight wars, has a averaged a major war every thirty years, regularly boasts of being the world’s greatest military power, is the world’s largest arms dealer, and has four military academies to train professional soldiers.

A poet has said, not without great truth, “Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in the attire of which kings and queens would be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to the Gospel of peace.”

Less poetically, think of the real-life advantages of a country not having to support a military establishment – a better standard of living; a high per cent of its national budget for health; a high literacy rate; choice education free at all levels; well-stocked public libraries; theater and symphony orchestras that are state-subsidized but not state controlled; a public transport system that is cheap, clean, and punctual; paved roads that are a dream, with scarcely a pothole to be seen; many national parks; and a well-funded ecology programme that could convert the republic into a mecca for bird-watchers, and provide clean air and safe water.

Yet not everybody is for peace. The ancient Greeks looked upon war between their own city-states and between themselves and the “barbarians” as part of the order of nature. To Machivelli, war is necessary to survive. The German philosopher Hegel taught that people must accept war or stagnate. Another German philosopher, Nietzsche, was a representative of the romantic cult of war. He invented the word “superman” (Ubermensch) and, for the supermen he wanted to create, war is the superme witness to their superior quality; supermen should never descend to the “slave morality” of Christianity, with its accent on humility and turning the other cheek.

Not all Christian have been complete pacifists. Theologians like St Augustine approved of what they called a “just war”. In the Middle Ages, when the papacy had temporal as well as spiritual power, it also had military strength, and used it. With the advent of nationalism, people like St Thomas More in his Uthopia advocated a pragmatic idea of war to defend one’s land or allies. And Dante maintained that peace must be attained by the imposition of a world law – paradoxically, by war if necessary.

The seventeenth century, because of growing international commerce, saw the desirability of permanent peace. The eighteenth – century “Enlightenment” had as one of its tenets the law of the “eternal progress” of the human race, in which humanity would eventually secure peace. In the nineteenth century, movements toward peace became more prolific, even if as ineffective as ever.

In our own century, World War I convinced the human race that war is an absolute evil. The League of Nations was established, and after World War II the United Nations, in the belief that wars are permissible on behalf of the maintenance of world peace. World War II also introduced nuclear weaponry, giving the world a preview of possibilities to come. As for nuclear war, multiply by ten the combined atrocities of Attila the Hun, Tamburlaine, Genghis Khan, the barbarians of the Dark Ages, Stalin, and Hitler – and you won’t begin to match this crime against the human race. Reflection upon this has resulted in a greater obsession with peace.

In the face of these varying views and problems about peace, today’s liturgy is a breath of fresh air. In the Gospel Jesus sends seventy-two disciples “like lambs among wolves” (v. 3) to spread his message of peace – a reminder, that, when Moses was worn down with work, the Lord had him designate seventy-two elders to help him. We can’t identify Jesus’ group as laity, bishops, or presbyters. Whoever they were, their mission was to proclaim the Good News about Jesus.

That Good News, though, was tough and realistic. It included the truth that Jesus didn’t come to bring perfection to this world, and that we must not only be grateful for his salvation but must actually share it by carrying our responsibilities. Although we can’t offer instant solutions to all problems or suffering, Jesus’ Good News can alone provide true peace.

Realistically, the disciple must be able to live in accord with St Paul in today’s closing words of his letter to the Galatians. This is his only letter which lacks a “thanksgiving” section – the reason being that Paul was very angry when he wrote. He felt that he had absolutely nothing to thank the Galatians for. There remained the tension between him and the Jewish – Christian trouble – makers who, even though they believed that Jesus was the Messiah, were insisting that all Galatian Christians abide by Jewish religious law. To Paul this was blasphemy. As Paul discovered, peace isn’t easy. Yet he wished the Galatians peace.

Jesus tells us peace is subversive. His idea is that, if the world wants peace, the wolves must swap power for trust, manipulation for solidarity, greed for sharing. That isn’t a world that the wolves of war and violence can survive in. It makes them very angry, and vicious in their attack.

Jesus tells us through his emissaries that the kingdom of God “is at hand for you” (v. 9). The kingdom of God is “at hand” and “for you”. It is not up in the sky or across the sea, but right here with us whenever and wherever we want to call upon it. With our cooperation, God’s power can transform this world, with all its problems, into a place of peace and justice.

The characteristic quality of this kingdom, as pictured in today’s section of Isaiah, is the Hebrew shalom; salaam in other Semitic languages. This beautiful word is untranslatable, but peace is its dominant characteristic – and also harmony, joy, well-being in every sense, and prosperity (as it is translated today in Isaiah). Metaphysically, the “city of peace” – “Jerusalem” – can be whenever we are if we are a children of peace.

God’s kingdom already looks to a heavenly city on earth and, interestingly, Isaiah’s dominant images for this relationship between God and us are feminine – the child at the large, consoling breast of its mother and the mother comforting her children. The image suggests a privileged intimacy, a wondrous dependency, even a child’s first ecstasy – a nursing babe, arms outstretched and lost in speechless delight. Isaiah also proclaims that, if people cooperate, God will send peace flowing like a river though any landscape that is dry of it.

Jesus’ advice that one isn’t to greet anyone along the way isn’t to mean a cold unfriendliness, but a reminder that there is a seriousness and an urgency about seeking and spreading peace; we mustn’t indulge in distractions, but get on with the work. Jesus further advises that his missionaries for peace take no walking staff, travelling bag, or scandals – this to dramatize one’s willingness to trust in God’s providence. The person then becomes vulnerable, making it possible for God to work through our vulnerability. Jesus’ true disciples must have no bag of tricks, no dog-and-pony show (thus different from the hucksters of religion we see in the streets of that time and on TV today).

How we can find peace is contained in the words Dante put over the door to heaven: “In His will is our peace.” Peace, in the final analysis, means oneness with God’s will. The search for peace must begin with individuals like you and me, then radiate out – to family, community, nation, and world. In that process, we recognize the truth of the Chinese saying that “the first step is the longest.” Peace isn’t a given; it has to be continually worked for, and worked at. If you haven’t found Jesus’ deep peace, take the first step – the long one – of praying for a heart to welcome it. When that is achieved, we have peace of soul, even in the world’s imperfection. May all of us free of discouragement, impatience, and anger in failure in our efforts for peace, and be sincere, humble, and wise in seeking it; peace-seeking and peace-making are the highest callings within civilization; in our daily lives we must reflect non-violence as a positive force. Let us repeat constantly the beautiful words Jesus advised: “Peace be to this household” (v. 5). Peace is our greeting, and peace is our mark. Peace is one of the signs of the presence of the kingdom. May God’s peace be in our hearts and in our homes.

Conclusion

The story of “The Little Lamp in the Dark Village” reminds us that the mission of spreading the Gospel is not just the work of a few; it is the calling of every Christian. Just like Samuel, we are invited to carry the light of Christ into places of darkness—not only distant lands but also into hearts around us that long for hope, love, and meaning.

The Gospel is universal. It knows no boundaries of race, language, or culture. When faith is lived with love, humility, and service, it speaks louder than words. As Jesus sent out the seventy-two disciples, He sends us today into the world—not necessarily to far-off villages, but perhaps to our workplaces, communities, families, and friends.

Let this be our mission: to be lamps in the darkness, to let the flame of faith shine through our words and our actions, and to trust that God’s love is for all people, everywhere. The Kingdom of God is truly at hand for anyone who receives it.

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Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C Cycle