Matthew 9:36-10:8

Exodus 19:2-6a

Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5

Romans 5:6-11

Matthew 9:36-10:8

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ 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.

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 from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

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.’

Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.

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

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you carried your people on eagle’s wings and made them your own possession. Pour your love into our hearts through Christ your Son, and raise up laborers for your harvest. May we generously share the mercy and grace we have freely received.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand: In the Gospel, we read about the compassion of Jesus, the choosing of the Twelve, and the beginning of Jesus’ Missionary Sermon. Jesus has just worked ten mighty deeds (Matthew 8-9), and he wants his disciples – in particular, the Twelve – to continue this ministry of healing, preaching, forgiveness, and exorcisms. Jesus responds to the needs of the crowds by providing them with shepherds. Jesus appoints twelve pastors, who represent the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and grants them the status of priests. The number twelve also recalls the governing ministers that King Solomon appointed over all Israel (1 Kings 4:17-18). Here, “Jesus appoints twelve new ‘officers’ and sends them out to the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel’ to declare ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ which could be translated, ‘the kingdom has arrived.’ The Apostles are the royal officers proclaiming the restoration of the kingdom of David, which is the kingdom of God (see 1 Chronicles 28:5; 2 Chronicles 13:8)” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year A, 282). 

2. Royal Priesthood: In the First Reading, God is offering to the people of Israel a restoration to the privileges of Adam, who was both king and priest. Adam was given dominion over the earth as a kind of viceroy. And just as the priests were commissioned to work in and guard the tabernacle and Temple (see Numbers 3:7), so also Adam was commissioned to work and guard the garden-sanctuary of Eden. “Adam lost his royalty and priesthood by rebelling against God in Genesis 3, but Israel gathered at Sinai is now offered a chance to regain the Adamic privileges. If they keep God’s covenant, they will be a new ‘humanity’ (one of the meanings of the word ‘Adam’) and be restored to humanity’s original vocation as a corporate king and priest” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year A, 278-279). Israel, however, was not faithful to this covenant. They did not respond to their royal and priestly vocation to be a light to the Gentile nations. Instead, they worshipped the Golden Calf (Exodus). In Christ and through Baptism, however, we are once again offered a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).

3. Death through Adam; Life through Christ: The Second Reading is taken from Paul’s Letter to the Romans. We will read from this letter every Sunday for the next 15 weeks or so. It is Paul’s most important letter and concerns topics like justification, salvation, faith and works, sin, the relationship between the Old and New Covenants, our incorporation into Christ, the grace of divine sonship, and the mystery of Israel and the Gentiles becoming one family of faith in Christ (see A Catholic Guide to the New Testament, 200). In the first couple of chapters in his letter, Paul has established that both Jews and Gentiles need to be saved. All have sinned (Romans 3:23), and our only hope is in Christ, who comes as an “expiation” by his blood. “Thus, Paul proclaims that Christ is the true sin offering, reconciling us to God. Both Christ’s atoning death and his Resurrection are essential. As the Catechism notes, these are the two sides of the Paschal Mystery: ‘By his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to new life’ (CCC 654)” (A Catholic Guide to the New Testament, 204). Today, we read from Romans 5, in which Paul compares Adam and Jesus. All die in Adam but find life in Christ. God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. We are now justified by Christ’s blood, reconciled to God through Christ’s death, and saved by Christ’s life.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your heart was moved with compassion for the weary and scattered crowds. Heal the wounded, strengthen your Church, and send us out as faithful laborers in your harvest. May we proclaim your Kingdom with humility, courage, and love.

Living the Word of God: We need to live as one who belongs to God, beginning and ending the day with prayer. Living our royal priesthood means seeing every part of life as something that can be offered to God in union with Christ. The baptized share in Christ’s priesthood by offering spiritual sacrifices (see 1 Peter 2:5). This means uniting our ordinary life to God with love. How can I offer my work, fatigue, suffering, and joys to God more intentionally? How can I be like Jesus and see the crowds as “troubled and abandoned,” rather than as a burden to be avoided?