Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26

Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

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.”

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples

and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out

and to cure every disease and every illness.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,

“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

Cure the sick, raise the dead,

cleanse lepers, drive out demons.

Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am a poor laborer in your fields and vineyard. Teach me the art of the harvest, how to be a good example to my brothers and sisters, how to spread the Gospel message, how to know when to invite, and how to teach the truth about you and your plan of salvation for humanity.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Isaiah’s Appeal to Jerusalem: The First Reading, from Isaiah 30, recalls our situation of need: we need bread and water; we need God’s blessing; we need a divine teacher; and we need our wounds to be bound up and healed. The sending of Jesus, as the Gospel shows, is God’s response to our cry. Isaiah 30 is an appeal to the city of Jerusalem to understand that God was ready to answer the prayers of his people. In verses 23-26, Isaiah symbolically describes Jerusalem’s recovery following the siege of the city by the Assyrians in 701 B.C. “This will be a time when the Lord provides an abundance of water, food, and light for the remnant of his people who are left” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bibl: Isaiah, 60). When Isaiah speaks about the “day of the great slaughter,” he is referring to the day when Jerusalem was delivered and when the angel of the Lord slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night to save the city. When everything in life seems bleak and dark, do I complain to God and blame him for my misery, or do I renew my trust in God that he will deliver me?

2. The Work of Jesus: In the Gospel, the Pharisees have just accused Jesus of working with Satan (Matthew 9:34). The old leadership of Jerusalem (the elders, the scribes, and the Pharisees) is ending, and Jesus will establish new leadership for the New Jerusalem. The Gospel first directs our attention to Jesus and his proclamation of the Good News of the Kingdom. He proclaims the word of salvation that God reigns. Jesus cures the sick and leads them as a shepherd. Secondly, the Gospel tells us that Jesus invited his twelve Apostles to share in his mission. The Twelve were sent out, and they were given authority over unclean spirits, disease, and illness. Like Jesus, they preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. Like Jesus, they cured the sick, raised the dead to life, cleansed lepers, and drove out demons. The evil kingdom of Satan has been conquered by Jesus and, one day, like the evil Assyrian empire that once threatened Israel, will definitively fall. 

3. Our Mission: Each and every day, we have the opportunity to share in Jesus’ work of establishing and growing the Kingdom of God. By our baptism and incorporation into Christ, we share in Jesus’ mission. We are like the apostles, who were called to stay with Jesus, spend time with him, learn from him, and abide in him. And, like the Apostles, we have been sent out in various ways to spread the Gospel and invite people to welcome Jesus into their lives. We are not the protagonists in this. Our action stems from Christ and leads to Christ. Without him, we can do nothing; with him, all things are possible. The Psalm captures this expression of God’s omnipotence: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; to his wisdom there is no limit.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to trust in you. All that I am, I owe to you. Teach me to pray as I ought and ask for good things from the Father through you and in the Spirit.

Living the Word of God: How can I imitate the Apostles better? Do I need to spend more quality time with Jesus in prayer and contact with the Word of God? Do I need to be more courageous in the proclamation of the Gospel? To whom is God sending me out? How can I conquer evil with good grace-empowered works today?