HOMILY FOR THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C. (6TH JULY, 2025)

This is your usual programme: 'GOD IS WITH YOU' by your humble servant, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Bartholomew Koroma, CSSp. A member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers, commonly known as Spiritans.
From Our First Reading is taken from Isaiah 66:10-14c. In this passage, Jerusalem is portrayed as a protective and nurturing mother, representing the message of consolation, healing, and divine favour and blessing for the Israelites. Because Jerusalem will once more be a source of comfort, plenty, and peace, it exhorts God's people to celebrate with her. She is inviting the people who previously lamented the destruction of Jerusalem, first by the Babylonians in 587 BC and then by the Romans in 70 AD, are now invited to share in her joy and prosperity. The image of nursing from her consoling breasts conveys a deep sense of intimacy, care, and satisfaction, reflecting how God will care for His people through restoration.
The Second Reading is coming from Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians 6:14-18. In this letter, Saint Paul emphasises that the only thing worth boasting about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, not our achievements. He rejects pride in religious rituals, most especially circumcision, which had become a source of division in the early Church. For Paul, the cross is central; it represents the death of the old self and the beginning of a new life in Christ.
Our Gospel is from Luke 10:1-12, 17-20. In this passage, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples in pairs to prepare the way for Him in the towns He plans to visit. This mission is part of a wider movement of proclaiming the kingdom of God. Jesus tells them the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few, urging them to pray for more workers. (cf. Luke 10:2). Here, there is an urgent shortage of those willing to go, speak, serve, and lead others to Christ. Jesus is highlighting the gap between the size of the mission and the number of willing workers. He warns that they are being sent out like lambs among wolves. Lambs are innocent, gentle, and defenceless animals, while wolves are predators, aggressive and dangerous. By calling His disciples lambs, Jesus emphasises their nonviolent and humble posture, their vulnerability in a hostile world, and their call to reflect the character of Christ, who is the Lamb of God (cf. John 1:29). This image rules out coercion or force in evangelism. The mission must be done with meekness, love, and integrity, not with domination or violence.