MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 6 JULY
July 6, 2025
FEAST OF BLESSED RALPH MILNER, MARTYR – 7th, JULY
July 7, 2025
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
6 JULY, 2025
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
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.
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.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
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.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘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.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”
The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
“Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”
Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
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.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
In this passage, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples, empowering them to proclaim peace, heal the sick, and declare that the kingdom of God has come near. Their mission is urgent, their dependence on God total, and their success astonishing. When they return rejoicing over the authority they exercised in Jesus’ name, He reminds them of a deeper truth — that the true joy is not in power or success, but in the assurance that their names are written in heaven. This teaches us to stay focused on our eternal identity in Christ rather than the temporary victories of this world.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You call and send us to be workers in Your harvest. Teach us to go with faith, humility, and trust in Your provision. Help us not to fear rejection but to remain faithful in proclaiming Your peace. As we experience Your power in our lives, remind us always that our greatest joy is being known and loved by You. May our hearts remain anchored in heaven, even as we labor on earth. Amen
