Readings:
Job 19:21-27
Luke 10:1-12
Reflection
In past times (perhaps 50 years ago), in Sydney’s Domain Gardens of any Sunday there were advocates of all sorts of viewpoints delivering speeches to any of the public who cared to stop and listen. The speakers were called ‘Soapbox Orators’. (The title derives from the fact that they brought with them a ‘box’ or some such means to elevate themselves and be seen by their audience.)
This practice was a feature of the pre-mass media world, and reflected a time when public oratory was akin to today’s ‘podcasts’. Like today, people ‘tuned in’ to certain “influencers” who achieved this by personal presence in the gardens rather than virtually. People enjoyed the spectacle and came to the gardens to listen to the speakers extolling the virtues of their particular perspective on life.
A humorous feature was the interjections and the responses of those in the audience who ridiculed the speaker’s perspective, or who argued solidly against the view being espoused by the speaker.
Among the ‘soapbox orators’ there was usually a representative of the official Communist Party.
It is said that any new and enthusiastic recruit to the Communist Party was intentionally allocated a slot in the gardens – and as the audience usually contained well educated members of the public who were vitriolic in their opposition to communist philosophy – the poor novice proponent of communism was often embarrassed and left unable to argue back against solid and logical opposition. As intended, this resulted in the novice communist studying Marxist theory with much more energy and diligence in the weeks after the disastrous debut!
A hard lesson but one which illustrates that one should not go forth in mission until one is well equipped to do so.
Thus, in the gospel scene today, we see ‘novices’ being sent out to face the world. We might imagine the 72 disciples setting out nervously yet enthusiastically to proclaim the good news of the kingdom or reign of God.
Did they, too, meet a well-rehearsed and practised opposition? Perhaps! However, they went with the confidence and support of Jesus, who entrusted his precious message—the good news—to them. They went not as scholars but as witnesses. They were to be influenced by actions, not words, and this made all the difference.
Likewise, we are entrusted with Spreading Jesus’ message. Perhaps we are not as eloquent as those soapbox orators – but then we are not sent to espouse a theory or a philosophy. Rather, we, like the 72, are sent as witnesses, and our actions and presence speak far louder than mere wordy arguments.
A person is rarely led to meet Jesus by logic but rather by example and personal accompaniment. We are all capable of those human gifts and traits.
Fr. Denis Travers C.P. is the provincial of the Passionists of Holy Spirit Province.