20251018 LOYAL COLLABORATORS
18 October 2025, Saturday, St Luke, Evangelist
First reading |
2 Timothy 4:10-17 |
Only Luke is with me
Demas has deserted me for love of this life and gone to Thessalonika, Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia; only Luke is with me. Get Mark to come and bring him with you; I find him a useful helper in my work. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and the scrolls, especially the parchment ones. Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him for what he has done. Be on your guard against him yourself, because he has been bitterly contesting everything that we say.
The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 144(145):10-13a,17-18 |
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord,
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
They make known to men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendour of your reign.
Yours is an everlasting kingdom;
your rule lasts from age to age.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
The Lord is just in all his ways
and loving in all his deeds.
He is close to all who call him,
who call on him from their hearts.
Your friends, O Lord, make known the glorious splendour of your reign.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn15:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I chose you from the world
to go out and bear fruit,
fruit that will last,
says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 10:1-9 |
Your peace will rest on that man
The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.”’
LOYAL COLLABORATORS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 TIM 4:10-17; LK 10:1-4]
In the Gospel, we read that “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.” In sending the disciples on mission, the Lord does not send us out alone. We are to go out in pairs or teams to evangelise, never alone.
Jesus was fully aware that the mission His disciples were sent on would be difficult and even lonely. They would face many trials–not just a lack of food and lodging, but also persecution and rejection. Indeed, He said to them, “I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Not only are they like lambs among wolves, but within the community there are wolves in disguise as lambs. This is what St. Paul himself encountered in his ministry. In his final instructions to the elders in Ephesus, he warned, “I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them” (Acts 20:29-30). Earlier, he had shared, “You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:18-20).
Yet faithful and loyal collaborators are hard to come by. St. Paul himself faced many betrayals in his ministry, even by people he trusted and loved. In his letter to Timothy, he wrote, “Demas has deserted me for love of this life.” Not only are we abandoned when we need support most, but some even betray us by speaking ill of us and spreading gossip, causing misunderstandings and shaking the faith of others. They bring disunity to the people we are meant to serve together. Paul lamented, “Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him for what he has done. Be on your guard against him yourself, because he has been bitterly contesting everything that we say.” In many cases, when persecuted or misunderstood, leaders must stand alone to face the world and their detractors, because even those who should support them remain silent. Paul felt this deeply: “The first time I had to present my defences, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me.” Yet Paul was magnanimous, adding, “May they not be held accountable for it.” Even when friends fail to stand by us, it is understandable–they wish to avoid suffering themselves.
As a leader myself, I can fully identify with Paul. Leadership is a lonely task. One never truly knows whom to trust. Those we rely on often disappoint us; they gossip, sow envy, and distort the truth. Jealousy is natural, as seen when James and John sought positions and power over the other apostles. Betrayals are common among those called to help us, and we often discover them only after division and destruction have taken place. Facing persecution from outside is difficult enough, but handling internal betrayals is even more challenging and frustrating.
So, what should leaders do in such situations? We must trust in God, not in man. Paul shared this truth: “But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear.” We must depend on the Lord in everything. As the psalmist reminds us, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish” (Ps 146:3-4). We should not be surprised when fellow humans–even friends and loved ones–fail us. We must forgive them and not bear grudges; they are weak and ignorant. Even the apostles abandoned our Lord in His final hour. Jesus instructed His disciples, “Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.” There is no need to be angry with those who reject us or the Gospel. If they welcome us, it benefits them; if they reject us, it is their loss.
We need only to trust that God will give us the strength and wisdom to continue His work. If it is God’s work, He will see it to fruition. We should do our best according to our circumstances. This is why the Lord told His disciples, “Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.” The apostles were instructed to travel light and depend entirely on the Lord, not on their own resources or ingenuity. We must trust that He will stand by us even when we face challenges. As the psalmist declares, “The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts.”
Even when we feel alone, God sends angels to help us. In Paul’s case, while some betrayed him, God sent faithful collaborators–Luke, Mark, Timothy, and Titus. On the feast of St. Luke, we glimpse Paul’s deep appreciation when he remarked, “Only Luke is with me.” The others either betrayed him or were sent elsewhere for mission work. But God never leaves us alone. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and His disciples fell asleep, the Father sent an angel to strengthen Him: “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength” (Lk 22:43). As the psalmist reminds us, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone” (Ps 91:11-12).
God knows we need help. Besides the faithful Luke, Paul had Mark and others. Luke was loyal and humble, unlike some collaborators who serve for personal gain. True, selfless collaborators like Luke are rare. Paul came to rely on Luke, calling him his fellow labourer (Philemon 1:24). Luke went beyond his expertise as a doctor to serve Paul in any way needed, without restrictions or conditions. He accompanied Paul on his final journey to Rome, stayed with him in prison from beginning to end, and wrote the Book of Acts, often using “we” passages to indicate his presence. Luke was also Paul’s secretary for the writing of 2 Timothy, exemplifying faithful service.
Therefore, we should not fear being alone in our mission for the Lord. We must take courage and trust in Him. From the very beginning, the Lord told His disciples, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” We must continue to pray that God will send more labourers, as we cannot work alone. We need faithful collaborators–clergy, religious, and laity–to labour in the vineyard of the Lord. On our part, let us strive to be like St. Luke to those we serve and to our fellow collaborators. Let us be faithful and humble workers, concerned only with the Lord’s interests. Let us encourage and support one another in ministry so that God can accomplish greater things in and through us.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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