11th Sunday of Ordinary Times
The Sending of the Disciples....
Readings for:11th Sunday of Ordinary Times
Reading 1 Exodus 19:2-6a
Psalm Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
Reading 2 Romans 5:6-11
Gospel Matthew 9:36—10:8
REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel
The theme of today’s readings is: The sending of the disciples. The first reading and the Gospel are linked to each other by the theme of God’s choice of a people consecrated to him. In the Old Testament this choice fell on the twelve tribes of Israel and in the New Testament on the twelve Apostles. God’s people, both in the Old and in the New Testament, are called to holiness, that is, to a life completely different from others. This life is to become a sign of salvation for everyone, especially for those who live around us. The Gospel describes this “holy” life of the disciples of Christ, a life full of works of Love. The second reading links up with this theme. It speaks of the gratuitousness of God’s love, a gift that the disciples of Christ must learn to understand and spread. Love is the courage to see others as they are.
As Christians, God calls us to this covenant of love, to follow Jesus and continue his mission on earth. Jesus came to announce the Kingdom or reign of God. The reign of God exists wherever God’s will is fulfilled. We glimpse the kingdom every time we see a person reach out to another in genuine love. It is to this harvest that Jesus calls the Apostles and each one of us, to announce the reign of God by curing the sick, raising the dead, healing the leperous and expelling demons, and above all we must announce the reign of God by the way we love. Every time we reach out to another in love, we announce through our action that the reign of God is at hand. Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote, “ It is by his power and not by the wisdom of men that the world is converted, and to prove this he has chosen unlearned men to be his preachers and has sent them into the world.” Remember, courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.
