The vision of a disciple must be the vision of God. Disciples must see with wide angled lenses that enable them to recognise that God offers the grace of salvation to all. The passages from both Isaiah and Luke are astounding in their inclusivity. They show that God’s saving grace is unbounded. It reaches out to those whom the people of God may not only distrust but sometimes even despise. There is something very dangerous about being smugly convinced of one’s own salvation. When we are so sure of ourselves, we can easily fall into the error of being as sure of the moral failure of others as well. The gospel warns us against such judgment.
Women and men are gathered into the community of the saved, primarily because others have been sent out to get them. The psalm refrain is the command to go out to the whole world. The first reading describes God sending fugitives back home to get their relatives. People come from all over because someone is sent to get them. Today that command is directed to us. We are the ones who are being sent out to bring others to God. Unfortunately there are many people who do not believe that they are fit to be evangelisers. They may think that the work that they do or the lives that they live do not lend themselves to the task of spreading the good news of the gospel. They do not realise that all Christians are called and sent. This is not an option; it is a responsibility.
© Dianne Bergant CSA, https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/date/2025Aug24/0/RefDiBer