26th Thursday in Ordinary Time - Year A

[upbeat music] Hi, this is Father Nick Smith, pastor of St. Patrick's in Perry.

A little focused-on detail in the beginning of today's gospel is that Jesus sends his disciples out in pairs.

Yes, he sends 72 disciples, but really there were only 36 pairs.

This is a key detail for the Christian life.

We can never live the Christian life to the full if we are going at it alone.

We should never be the holiest person we know.

We should always have someone at our side, someone we are living the Christian life alongside who can be a kind of either mentor or guide or companion in the spiritual life to help us along the way.

It's no accident that the sacraments have to take place in a person-to-person encounter.

There's no such thing as a virtual sacrament or a sacrament over Zoom.

We have to meet another person face-to-face in order to have an encounter with God, at least in the sacraments.

Our friends, fellow disciples, who are also walking this journey of life, living the Christian life, seeking heaven, seeking the kingdom of God above all things, these are so, so important as we try to grow in the life of grace.

So we cannot go at this alone.

The Lord knew this and so did not send his 72 disciples out alone, but sent them ahead of him in pairs so that they might not lose sight of the ultimate goal, but always be able to look to each other for that guiding light, that guiding post, that source of stability, to know what is their purpose, to know where they are headed.

Let us also seek to do the same with our friends here on Earth and also counting on the intercession of our friends in heaven, the saints.

May God bless you, and let us continue praying for each other.