Year: 2024

***

Gospel: Matthew 10: 7-15

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

There’s an old saying, “There are two sides to every story.”

Such is the case in today’s Gospel. On one hand, Jesus sends his disciples out to preach and to cure with the added instruction, “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or a walking stick.”

On the surface, it seems like the Lord is stripping his disciples bare, as if they must fend for themselves in the wild. But that isn’t his intention.

Rather, the Lord is building upon a Jewish tradition, which all of the Apostles would’ve understood. 

In ancient Israel, it was customary for a person to part with their walking staff, shoes, girdle of money, and to cleanse the dust from their feet before entering the Temple to pray. The idea is that a person is parting with all of their worldly cares and things before addressing God.

God comes first.

After leaving the Temple, a person could gather their belongings and re-enter the world.

***

By instructing his disciples to part with all of their things before preaching and healing, Jesus is telling them to treat the entire world – including every person they meet – as if it is within Temple.

Meaning everything and everyone is holy, a type of dwelling place for God.

As Christians, we’re called to maintain that same type of attitude, treating all as if they are another Christ.

***

The other side of the story is this: if the disciples are going out without a thing to their name, then they’ll need the good will and support of their brothers and sisters along the way.

While the Gospel should be preached free of charge, it is also an honor to care for those who share it, which is why the Church emphasizes the need for charity.

This is particularly true of supporting religious orders like Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, who keep nothing but the Word of God, and depend entirely our support.

Perhaps this is what the Lord is asking of us today: to see the world as holy; to care for the poor; and to support those who preach the Gospel – not only in word but with their very lives.

***

***

Image credits: (1) The Bridge Church (2) If I Walked With Jesus (3) Tumblr

***

Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-7

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

One of the remarkable traits of Jesus was his ability to bring people together. 

For example, today he calls the Twelve Apostles. Some of these men would’ve never been friends without the Lord.

Consider Simon and Matthew.

***

Simon was a member of the Zealot party, a group of Jewish patriots who viewed the Roman Empire as an invading force that stole their freedom. They wanted independence and would do almost anything for it.

Then there’s Matthew, also a Jew, who served the Roman Empire as a tax-collector. Matthew would’ve been seen by Simon as sleeping with the enemy.

Somehow, Jesus brought these men together, uniting them under a single purpose – the salvation of souls.

***

That’s what the Holy Spirit does today.

***

The Spirit fosters harmony; inspires forgiveness; heals wounded hearts; and enables people with divergent – even conflicting – views to set aside their differences, to work together in building the Kingdom.

In what ways has the Holy Spirit made me a kinder, less judgmental person?

How do I work with others – especially those who are different from me – to build up God’s kingdom?

***

If the Lord could pull together a divergent group of twelve imperfect men and inspire them to change the world as they knew it, then why can he not use us to do the same thing today?

***

***

Image credits: (1) Joy Dara Ministries (2) Adobe Stock (3) Minij Kim Exhibition

***

Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38

A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus,
and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke.
The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said,
“He drives out demons by the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

There’s nothing that pains the Lord more than human suffering. In addition to today’s Gospel passage, consider a few other moments when Jesus is moved with pity.

His heart broke when he saw the widow at Nain. 

This poor mother was on her way to bury her son – something no parent should experience. Perhaps the Lord imagined how his own mother would feel when Calvary came. Overcome with compassion, Jesus touches the boy’s tomb. Instantly, he’s brought back to life.

Then Jesus is moved with pity when he gazes upon a tired and hungry crowd. 

Thousands had been following him for days, but they had nothing to eat. So, the Lord multiplies loaves of bread and, the Gospel tells us, “all ate and were filled.”

He’s stirred with compassion again after being confronted by a leper who spent his entire life in isolation. Feeling this man’s loneliness and sense of abandonment, Jesus forgives his sins, heals him, and sets him free.

***

We could add thousands of other examples in our world today that pierce our Lord’s heart with pity. 

But, as Teresa of Avila once wrote, “Christ has no hands now but yours. No body but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he sees. Yours the hands with which he blesses. Christ has no body now but yours.”

What, then, are we to do?

“Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel.

May he send us.

***

***

Image credits: (1) The Millennial Pastor (2) Renovate (3) Germantown Presbyterian Church