I JOIN THE SEVENTY-TWO DISCIPLES SENT BY JESUS “I WANT TO BE NUMBER 73”   At the beginning of the New Year, we often set some goals for the coming 12 months. As days go by, however, life and time move too quickly and suddenly, another year is gone and the goals unmet. The great question to consider this month is, have I properly used the time that God has given me so far? or have I used my time unworthily or uselessly. I have seen over the years, that humankind tend to go with the flow in a world that is mostly interested in fleeting or material things, pleasure, and entertainment. Therefore, people today are more decadent and co-dependent of all things temporal. Sadly, when we finally get around to reviewing how we have invested our time; asking ourselves what we have done or if we feel successful or not, many feel tempted to resort to temporal answers as they slowly understand that they have wasted their time. Failing to grasp the meaning of the life that God has given them. Jesus often appears in the movie of our life in times of crisis. And when He does, many understand that He is the true Life and the answer to our existence in the temporary world, but more importantly, to the Life after death; it is against this and not the temporal that we should measure the meaning of the life God has given us. Many fail to understand that Jesus is the answer to their void or need that they are very much focused on but they are blinded by the allure of the temporal world and therefore miss the intended meaning of the Life that God has for them. If they fail to succeed in God’s plan for them, the rest becomes unimportant. Thus, millions of men and women do not seize the opportunity to escape the temporal world they have created for a world full of Hope and Peace promised to them by Jesus. In the Gospel, Saint John tells us that Jesus was sought by some people that where present when He multiplied the loaves of bread, a miracle that allowed Him to feed thousands. “Jesus answered, very truly I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” (John 6:26) Another perspective is that Jesus explains that their approach to Him and life was not right, “you want to meet your needs but fail to understand the actual reason for My coming.” Jesus came to teach us that we are the beloved children of our Heavenly Father and He is interested in both our temporary and eternal lives. At the start of His public life, Jesus invites all who listen to Him, to follow Him. He calls us to be His disciples, “followers of life” for He is Life. Only a few people saw beyond the miracles and…