Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 180
Lectionary: 180
Thus says the Lord
GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Responsorial PsalmPS 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (see Isaiah
30:18d) Blessed are all who wait for
the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
GospelMT 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.”
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.”
Meditation: "The
kingdom of heaven is at hand"
Who
doesn't want a life of good health, peace, and well-being? Isaiah
foretold that God's kingdom would overcome sorrow and adversity and bring true
peace and prosperity to God's people. Jesus understood his mission to bring the
kingdom in all its fulness to us. The core of the gospel message is quite
simple: the kingdom or reign of God is imminent! What is the kingdom of
God? It's the power of God at work in that society of men and women who
trust in God and who honor him as their King and Lord. In the Lord's
prayer we dare to ask God to reign fully in our lives and in our world: "May
your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew
5:10 ). Jesus' preaching of God's kingdom was accompanied by signs
and wonders. People were healed not only spiritually, but physically as well.
Do you believe in the power of God's kingdom for your life? Let his word
transform your mind and heart that he may reign supreme in every area of your
life.
Jesus
commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did – to speak God's
word and to bring his healing power to the weary and oppressed. Jesus said to
his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew
10:8). What they had received from Jesus (all free of charge) they must
now pass on to others without expecting any kind of payment or reward. They
must show by their attitude that their first interest is God, not material
gain. Jesus' words are just as relevant today. The kingdom of heaven is
available to those who are ready to receive it. We cannot buy heaven;
but if we accept the love and mercy of Jesus we already possess heaven in our
hearts! The Lord brings his kingdom or heavenly reign to those who receive him
with faith and obedience. When the Lord returns in his glory he will fully
restore his kingdom of everlasting peace and justice. Do you pray and watch
with confident hope for God's kingdom to come in all its fullness?
"Lord
Jesus, rouse my spirit from complacency and stir my faith to see you act today.
Give me boldness to live and proclaim the message of the kingdom of heaven and
to be a prophetic sign of that kingdom to this generation."
 Power in Weakness |
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Saturday of the
First Week of Advent
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Father John Doyle,
LC
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.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, the Lord of
heaven and earth. Lord Jesus, I trust in your goodness and tender concern for
my good and the good of every single person on this earth. Lord Jesus, I love
you and wish to cooperate more fully with you. I am such a poor weak
instrument, but I know that you can do anything through those who trust in
you.
Petition: Help me Lord, to know the mysteries of your
Sacred Heart and to respond with love.
1. The Heart of Christ: “His heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Jesus is our creator and our redeemer. He knows that what we seek is his
friendship, whether we realize it or not. He knows that only he can satisfy
our innermost desires. We need to be moved with compassion at the thought of
Jesus’ pain, wounded by so many souls who refuse to turn to him, our only
source of light, life and happiness. Do I ever consider how Jesus’ heart
needs to be consoled because of the indifference and rejection of so many
souls whom he loves infinitely?
2. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers
are few.” There are so many souls in need of healing and so few to help Our
Lord with building his Kingdom and saving souls. “Pray to the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers to the harvest.” Christ is calling us to help
him in this mission. We cannot be indifferent to the cries of our brothers
and sisters who do not know the truth and who have not experienced God’s
awesome love. We must be convinced that Jesus is the only answer for their
yearnings. Do I pray often to the Lord of the harvest? Do I realize that I am
also called to be a laborer in the Lord’s harvest?
3. Go to the Lost Sheep of the House of
Israel: Jesus sends us out
although we feel weak and helpless. Can we “heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, and drive out demons?” Isn’t there someone else, Lord? No.
Christ calls us for the same reason he called the first apostles, namely
because he chooses the weak to show that he is in charge. “Apart from the
vine you can do nothing” (cf. John 15:5). But united to him, we will bear
much fruit. Trust in him especially when we feel our own weakness and
incapability. For, as the apostle St Paul, reminds us, “There is nothing I
cannot do in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), and
“It is when I am weak that I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Conversation with Christ: Oh Lord Jesus, I want to respond to
the longings of your heart. You have loved us to the point of dying on the
cross for us, and we repay you so poorly. You deserve our grateful, loyal
love, but so often we abandon you. I want to console your Sacred Heart by
helping to bring many souls back into your friendship. I want to be part of
the solution and not part of the problem; however, I do not feel worthy or up
to the task of being your apostle. Help me to cooperate with you. Help me to
soothe your longing to heal us and care for us. Here I am Lord, to do your
loving will.
Resolution: I will go before the Blessed Sacrament
today, intensifying my union and friendship with my Risen Lord, and ask him
to send more holy, priestly vocations for his Church.
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, MATTHEW 9:35--10:1, 5a, 6-8
(Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Psalm 147)
(Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26; Psalm 147)
KEY VERSE: "As you go, make this proclamation: `The kingdom of heaven is at hand'" (10:7).
READING: Through Jesus’ teaching and healing, he proclaimed that the kingdom of God had arrived. Jesus was moved with compassion because the people were like "sheep without a shepherd" (Mt 9:36). He asked his disciples to pray that the "master of the harvest" (v 38) would send out more laborers to care for God's people. The Divine Shepherd (Jesus) and Harvest-master (God) needed human cooperation to achieve this purpose. Jesus chose twelve men who would share his authority and mission and serve as apostles. (The Greek word apostolos means "one sent forth with a message"). Jesus sent his apostles forth to announce his message to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (10:6). The miracles that accompanied their proclamation were signs of God's reign. The gift that they received was to be freely shared with others.
REFLECTING: Do I share the Lord's gospel with others?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, I pray that I will be generous in answering your call.
Saturday, December 7, Memorial of Ambrose,
bishop and doctor of the Church
After the bishop of Milan died, a dispute
over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose, Governor of Milan, intervened to
calm both sides. He impressed everyone so much that, though still an unbaptized
catechuman, he was chosen to fill the office of bishop. Ambrose resisted,
claiming that he was not worthy, but to prevent further violence, he assented.
On 7 December 374 he was baptized, ordained a priest, and consecrated as
bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church to help the poor as
an example to his flock. Ambrose was a preacher, teacher, bible student of
renown, and writer of liturgical hymns. His preaching helped convert St.
Augustine of Hippo whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose's
preaching also convinced Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins.
Ambrose called and chaired several theological councils during his time as
bishop, many devoted to fighting heresy. He was proclaimed a great Doctor of
the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298. The title "Honey Tongued
Doctor" was bestowed on him because of his speaking and preaching ability.
"What happens with pure gold happens with the Church; that is, that when fire-exposed, gold is not harmed; on the contrary, its splendor is enhanced" (St. Ambrose).
"What happens with pure gold happens with the Church; that is, that when fire-exposed, gold is not harmed; on the contrary, its splendor is enhanced" (St. Ambrose).
Happy are all who long for the
coming of the Lord
‘The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few.’Loving God, we thank you for the promises you have made to our human family down through the ages. Our world is still yearning for peace: there are so many individuals and nations who suffer through violence and injustice, famine and drought, so many homeless and dispossessed people. We believe that in the coming of Jesus your promises have begun to come true. When he sent out the disciples, he began a mission that continues to this day. Renew in us the spirit of discipleship, so that, like Jesus, our hearts may go out to those who are in need. May our words and actions help them recognise you, the gracious God of us all.
December 7
St. Ambrose
(340?-397)
St. Ambrose
(340?-397)
One of Ambrose’s biographers observed that at the Last Judgment
people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and those who
heartily disliked him. He emerges as the man of action who cut a furrow through
the lives of his contemporaries. Even royal personages were numbered among
those who were to suffer crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose’s
way.
When the
Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from Ambrose’s Catholics and
give them to the Arians, he dared the eunuchs of the court to execute him. His
own people rallied behind him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of
riots, he both spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to
exciting Eastern melodies.
In his
disputes with the Emperor Auxentius, he coined the principle: “The emperor is
in the Church, not above the Church.” He publicly admonished Emperor Theodosius
for the massacre of 7,000 innocent people. The emperor did public penance for
his crime. This was Ambrose, the fighter, sent to Milan as Roman governor and
chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people’s bishop.
There is
yet another side of Ambrose—one which influenced Augustine (August 28), whom
Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little man with a high forehead, a
long melancholy face and great eyes. We can picture him as a frail figure
clasping the codex of sacred Scripture. This was the Ambrose of aristocratic
heritage and learning.
Augustine
found the oratory of Ambrose less soothing and entertaining but far more learned
than that of other contemporaries. Ambrose’s sermons were often modeled on
Cicero, and his ideas betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and
philosophers. He had no scruples in borrowing at length from pagan authors. He
gloried in the pulpit in his ability to parade his spoils—“gold of the
Egyptians”—taken over from the pagan philosophers.
His
sermons, his writings and his personal life reveal him as an otherworldly man
involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity, for Ambrose, was, above all,
spirit. In order to think rightly of God and the human soul, the closest thing
to God, no material reality at all was to be dwelt upon. He was an enthusiastic
champion of consecrated virginity.
The
influence of Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for discussion. TheConfessions reveal
some manly, brusque encounters between Ambrose and Augustine, but there can be
no doubt of Augustine’s profound esteem for the learned bishop.
Neither
is there any doubt that Monica (August 27) loved Ambrose as an angel of God who
uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his convictions about
Christ. It was Ambrose, after all, who placed his hands on the shoulders of the
naked Augustine as he descended into the baptismal fountain to put on Christ.
Comment:
Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a man steeped in the learning, law and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.
Ambrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a man steeped in the learning, law and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet, in the midst of active involvement in this world, this thought runs through Ambrose’s life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world.
Quote:
“Women and men are not mistaken when they regard themselves as superior to mere bodily creatures and as more than mere particles of nature or nameless units in modern society. For by their power to know themselves in the depths of their being they rise above the entire universe of mere objects.... Endowed with wisdom, women and men are led through visible realities to those which are invisible” (Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 14–15, Austin Flannery translation).
“Women and men are not mistaken when they regard themselves as superior to mere bodily creatures and as more than mere particles of nature or nameless units in modern society. For by their power to know themselves in the depths of their being they rise above the entire universe of mere objects.... Endowed with wisdom, women and men are led through visible realities to those which are invisible” (Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 14–15, Austin Flannery translation).
Patron Saint of:
Bee keepers
Learning
Bee keepers
Learning
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 9,35 - 10,1.5-8
Lectio:
Saturday, December 7, 2013
1st Week of Advent
1) Opening prayer
God of mercy and compassion,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have revealed yourself
as a God of people.
Turn our empty hearts to you,
give us eyes to see the depth of our poverty
and our inability to build a better world
with our own resources,
and then come and build it with us
through your Son and our Saviour
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God of mercy and compassion,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have revealed yourself
as a God of people.
Turn our empty hearts to you,
give us eyes to see the depth of our poverty
and our inability to build a better world
with our own resources,
and then come and build it with us
through your Son and our Saviour
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
2) Gospel reading - Matthew 9,35 - 10,1.5-8
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.'
He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: 'Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness. And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest.'
He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: 'Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today has two parts: (a) A brief summary of the apostolic activity of Jesus (Mt 9, 35-38) and (b) The beginning of the “Sermon of the Mission” (Mt 10, 1.5-8). The Gospel of today’s Liturgy omits the names of the Apostles which are found in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 10, 2-4).
• Matthew 9, 35: Summary of the apostolic activity of Jesus. “Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and all kinds of illness”. Matthew describes in a few words the central pints of the missionary activity of Jesus: (a) to travel through all the towns and villages. Jesus does not wait for people to come to him, but he goes out to look for the people travelling himself through the towns and villages. (b) To teach in the Synagogues, that is in the communities. Jesus goes to the place where the people are gathered together around the faith in God. And it is there that He proclaims the Good News of the Kingdom, that is, the Good News of God. Jesus does not teach doctrine as if the Good News were a new catechism, but in everything he says and does, there emerges something of the great Good News which dwells within Him, that is, God, the Kingdom of God. (c) He cures all kinds of diseases and illness. That which poor people experienced most was illness, all kinds of diseases, and what distinguishes the activity of Jesus is the consolation given to the people, whom he relieves from pain.
• Matthew 9, 36: The compassion of Jesus before the situation of the people”. “And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd”. Jesus accepts persons as they are before him: sick, exhausted, tired. He behaves like the Servant of Isaiah, whose central message consists in “consoling the people” (cf. Is 40, 1). The attitude of Jesus toward the people was like the attitude of the Servant whose mission was very definite: “He does not cry out or raise his voice, his voice is not heard in the street; he does not break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick”. (Is 42, 2-3). Like the Servant Jesus also feels sorry seeing the situation of the people who were “tired, exhausted, and dejected like sheep without a shepherd”. He begins to be a shepherd, identifying himself with the Servant who said: “The Lord has given me a tongue of a beginner, that I may know how to raise those who are discouraged” (Is 49, 4a). Like the Servant, Jesus becomes the disciple of the Father and of the people and says: “Every morning my ear is attentive so as to listen to the beginners” (Is 49, 4b). And from the contact with the Father, Jesus receives the consolation to communicate it to the poor.
• Matthew 9, 37-38: Jesus involves the disciples in the mission. Before the immensity of the missionary activity, the first thing that Jesus asks to the disciples is to pray: “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few! So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest”. Prayer is the first form of commitment of the disciples for the mission. Because if one believes in the importance of the mission that one has to carry out, everything possible is done so that it will not die with us, but rather that it continues in others through us and after us.
• Matthew 10, 1: Jesus gave the disciples the power to cure and to cast out devils. “He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness”. The second thing that Jesus asks the disciples is not that they do not begin to teach doctrine and laws, but rather that they help the people to overcome fear of the unclean spirits and to help them in the struggle against illness. Today, what frighten people most are certain missionaries who threaten them with the punishment of God and with the danger of devils. Jesus does the contrary. “If it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the Kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares”. (Lk 11, 20). It is sad to say it, but today there are some persons who need the devils in order to be able to drive them out and gain some money. It would be worthwhile for them to read what Jesus says against the Pharisees and the doctors of the Law (Mt 23).
• Matthew 10, 5-6: Go first to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Jesus sends out the Twelve with these recommendations: “Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. At the beginning, the mission of Jesus was directed to “the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. Who where these lost sheep of the House of Israel? Were they, perhaps, the persons who were excluded, for example, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the unclean, who were considered lost and condemned by the religious authority of the time? Were they those of the directing class, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the elders and the priests who considered themselves the faithful people of Israel? Or were they the crowds, tired and exhausted, as sheep without a shepherd? Probably, here in the context of the Gospel of Matthew, it is a question of these poor and abandoned people who are accepted by Jesus (Mt 9, 36-37). Jesus wanted the disciples to participate together with him in this mission with these persons. But in the measure in which he takes care of these persons, Jesus himself extends the horizon. In the contact with the Canaanite woman, a lost sheep of another race and another religion, who wishes to be heard, Jesus repeats to his disciples: “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 15, 24). It is before the insistence of the mother who does not cease to intercede for her daughter that Jesus defends himself saying: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to little dogs” (Mt 15, 26). But the reaction of the mother does away with the defence of Jesus: “Ah, yes, Lord, but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table” (Mt 15, 27). And in fact, there were many scraps! Twelve baskets full of pieces of bread which were left over after the multiplication of the loaves for the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Mt 14, 20). The answer of the woman does away with the argument of Jesus. He takes care of the woman: Jesus listens to the woman: “Woman, you have great faith: Let your desire be granted". “And from that moment her daughter was well again” (Mt 15, 28). Through the continuous attention given to the lost sheep of Israel, Jesus discovers that in the whole world there are lost sheep who want to eat the scraps or crumbs.
• Matthew 10, 7-8: Summary of the activity of Jesus. “Go, instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge”. How can the closeness of the Kingdom be revealed? The response is simple and concrete: curing the sick, raising the dead, cleaning the lepers, driving out devils and serving gratuitously, without enriching oneself from the service given to the people. Where this takes place, the Kingdom is revealed.
• The Gospel today has two parts: (a) A brief summary of the apostolic activity of Jesus (Mt 9, 35-38) and (b) The beginning of the “Sermon of the Mission” (Mt 10, 1.5-8). The Gospel of today’s Liturgy omits the names of the Apostles which are found in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 10, 2-4).
• Matthew 9, 35: Summary of the apostolic activity of Jesus. “Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and all kinds of illness”. Matthew describes in a few words the central pints of the missionary activity of Jesus: (a) to travel through all the towns and villages. Jesus does not wait for people to come to him, but he goes out to look for the people travelling himself through the towns and villages. (b) To teach in the Synagogues, that is in the communities. Jesus goes to the place where the people are gathered together around the faith in God. And it is there that He proclaims the Good News of the Kingdom, that is, the Good News of God. Jesus does not teach doctrine as if the Good News were a new catechism, but in everything he says and does, there emerges something of the great Good News which dwells within Him, that is, God, the Kingdom of God. (c) He cures all kinds of diseases and illness. That which poor people experienced most was illness, all kinds of diseases, and what distinguishes the activity of Jesus is the consolation given to the people, whom he relieves from pain.
• Matthew 9, 36: The compassion of Jesus before the situation of the people”. “And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd”. Jesus accepts persons as they are before him: sick, exhausted, tired. He behaves like the Servant of Isaiah, whose central message consists in “consoling the people” (cf. Is 40, 1). The attitude of Jesus toward the people was like the attitude of the Servant whose mission was very definite: “He does not cry out or raise his voice, his voice is not heard in the street; he does not break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering wick”. (Is 42, 2-3). Like the Servant Jesus also feels sorry seeing the situation of the people who were “tired, exhausted, and dejected like sheep without a shepherd”. He begins to be a shepherd, identifying himself with the Servant who said: “The Lord has given me a tongue of a beginner, that I may know how to raise those who are discouraged” (Is 49, 4a). Like the Servant, Jesus becomes the disciple of the Father and of the people and says: “Every morning my ear is attentive so as to listen to the beginners” (Is 49, 4b). And from the contact with the Father, Jesus receives the consolation to communicate it to the poor.
• Matthew 9, 37-38: Jesus involves the disciples in the mission. Before the immensity of the missionary activity, the first thing that Jesus asks to the disciples is to pray: “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few! So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers to his harvest”. Prayer is the first form of commitment of the disciples for the mission. Because if one believes in the importance of the mission that one has to carry out, everything possible is done so that it will not die with us, but rather that it continues in others through us and after us.
• Matthew 10, 1: Jesus gave the disciples the power to cure and to cast out devils. “He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to drive them out and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of illness”. The second thing that Jesus asks the disciples is not that they do not begin to teach doctrine and laws, but rather that they help the people to overcome fear of the unclean spirits and to help them in the struggle against illness. Today, what frighten people most are certain missionaries who threaten them with the punishment of God and with the danger of devils. Jesus does the contrary. “If it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the Kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares”. (Lk 11, 20). It is sad to say it, but today there are some persons who need the devils in order to be able to drive them out and gain some money. It would be worthwhile for them to read what Jesus says against the Pharisees and the doctors of the Law (Mt 23).
• Matthew 10, 5-6: Go first to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Jesus sends out the Twelve with these recommendations: “Do not make your way to gentile territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. At the beginning, the mission of Jesus was directed to “the lost sheep of the House of Israel”. Who where these lost sheep of the House of Israel? Were they, perhaps, the persons who were excluded, for example, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the unclean, who were considered lost and condemned by the religious authority of the time? Were they those of the directing class, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the elders and the priests who considered themselves the faithful people of Israel? Or were they the crowds, tired and exhausted, as sheep without a shepherd? Probably, here in the context of the Gospel of Matthew, it is a question of these poor and abandoned people who are accepted by Jesus (Mt 9, 36-37). Jesus wanted the disciples to participate together with him in this mission with these persons. But in the measure in which he takes care of these persons, Jesus himself extends the horizon. In the contact with the Canaanite woman, a lost sheep of another race and another religion, who wishes to be heard, Jesus repeats to his disciples: “I have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt 15, 24). It is before the insistence of the mother who does not cease to intercede for her daughter that Jesus defends himself saying: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to little dogs” (Mt 15, 26). But the reaction of the mother does away with the defence of Jesus: “Ah, yes, Lord, but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table” (Mt 15, 27). And in fact, there were many scraps! Twelve baskets full of pieces of bread which were left over after the multiplication of the loaves for the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Mt 14, 20). The answer of the woman does away with the argument of Jesus. He takes care of the woman: Jesus listens to the woman: “Woman, you have great faith: Let your desire be granted". “And from that moment her daughter was well again” (Mt 15, 28). Through the continuous attention given to the lost sheep of Israel, Jesus discovers that in the whole world there are lost sheep who want to eat the scraps or crumbs.
• Matthew 10, 7-8: Summary of the activity of Jesus. “Go, instead to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge”. How can the closeness of the Kingdom be revealed? The response is simple and concrete: curing the sick, raising the dead, cleaning the lepers, driving out devils and serving gratuitously, without enriching oneself from the service given to the people. Where this takes place, the Kingdom is revealed.
4) Personal questions
• We all receive the same mission given by Jesus to the disciples. Are you conscious, aware of this mission? How do you live your mission?
• In your life, have you had any contact with the lost sheep, with people who are tired and exhausted? What lesson did you draw out of this?
• We all receive the same mission given by Jesus to the disciples. Are you conscious, aware of this mission? How do you live your mission?
• In your life, have you had any contact with the lost sheep, with people who are tired and exhausted? What lesson did you draw out of this?
5) Concluding prayer
The Lord heals the broken-hearted
and binds up their wounds;
he counts out the number of the stars,
and gives each one of them a name. (Sal 147,3-4)
The Lord heals the broken-hearted
and binds up their wounds;
he counts out the number of the stars,
and gives each one of them a name. (Sal 147,3-4)
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