October 18, 2025 Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist
Daily Readings: 2 Timothy 4:910-17b; Luke 10:1-9
St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy is a Pastoral Letter and a Captivity Letter, besides being Deutero-Canonical in nature. Today’s text contains Paul’s final message to Timothy. He urges Timothy to come to him soon because many members of his team have deserted him for various reasons. There is certainly a sense of sadness at his loneliness, as some people have abandoned him. Paul’s spirit of reconciliation is made visible in his request to bring Mark along with him and in his declaration that Mark is useful in his ministry. Paul also expresses a keen desire to recover his books and parchments, demonstrating his deep love for the Word of God. He warns Timothy sternly about Alexander the coppersmith, who strongly opposed the Gospel. Yet, amid all his disappointments, Paul realizes that “the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17). Paul also praises Luke for his fidelity.
Today’s Gospel reading presents a uniquely Lukan passage. Jesus appoints seventy others (besides the Twelve), some manuscripts even mention seventy-two. This passage is paradigmatic, serving as a model for Christian mission. The disciples are sent ahead of Jesus in pairs as His ambassadors. They are instructed to pray for more laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. Their mission is precarious, for they are sent out like lambs among wolves, yet they must continue to encourage others to join them despite the hostility that they face. They are to travel light and be ready to face rejection. While engaging in preaching and healing, they must also remain mindful of their own spiritual well-being. They are to gratefully accept the hospitality offered to them. The central message of their preaching is that the kingdom of God is near and at hand.
Call to Action: St. Luke offers a universal outlook on the Gospel of Jesus, bringing the poor, widows, marginalized, sick, and suffering to the center. He also placed prayer at the heart of Jesus’ life and mission. Let us face the challenge of widening our vision!
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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