Our Gospel today paints a picture of both vulnerability and helplessness before fierce attackers as described by St Luke the evangelist. The seventy-two are sent out like lambs among wolves, yet they are not to be passive when their enemies assail them. Furthermore, Jesus tells them to pray for more spiritual leaders to be raised up so that the Lord can send more laborers for his harvest. The sending out of the seventy-two anticipates the mission to the Gentiles since, the number seventy-two was the number of the Gentile nations. The mission of these seventy-two then is to bring all into the family of God, to those who reject His word. The seventy-two are told to shake the dust off their sandals as a sign of the impending judgment to come. This gesture also serves to remind them not to be discouraged with the hostilities along the way. Their job is to carry on the mission that is entrusted to them, no one is compelled to accept the message that they are preaching. In our lives too, we may encounter many hostilities that would stand in our way against our faith. Let us not be discouraged but persevere along the way, preaching the truth of the faith in the way we live.