José Ricardo Bezerra and Felipe Bezerra
Introduction
We are in the month of June, the month of the Heart of Jesus, and the liturgy of this Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time sets before us a scene full of tenderness: Jesus who sees the crowds and is moved with compassion for them. Today’s Gospel, from Matthew 9:36–10:8, is the calling and sending of the Twelve Apostles. Last week we followed the call of Matthew; now Jesus gathers the Twelve and sends them out on mission.
Before we comment point by point on this Gospel, an observation is worth making that illuminates the whole passage. The fact that Jesus chose twelve apostles and was the Master of the Twelve is, in a certain sense, an affirmation of his own divinity. In the Old Testament, God called and gathered the twelve tribes of Israel (cf. Ex 24:4). Jesus could have chosen eleven disciples and placed himself as the twelfth, saying that he represented the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, for he is priest (cf. Heb 4:14). Or he could have taken the place of the tribe of Judah, from which he descends as the adopted (legal) son of Joseph, through David (cf. Mt 1:1-17). But it was not so. Jesus places himself outside the Twelve and constitutes a new people, because it is God who calls and gathers. The sign of the twelve apostles is also a sign of the divine authority of Jesus, who gives the disciples power to cast out unclean spirits and to cure diseases — something that only one who has power and authority in himself can communicate to others.
1. The compassion of Jesus for the crowds
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mt 9:36)
The first point is the gaze of Jesus upon us. He is not indifferent to our weariness and dejection, to our feeling lost. Jesus sees the crowd, but he does not regard us merely as a number: he sees each one, individually. He is the same who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one sheep that was lost. This compassion recalls the beginning of the Book of Consolation, in Second Isaiah: “Comfort, give comfort to my people…” (Is 40:1). Jesus sees the people and perceives that they need to be consoled, for they are like sheep without a shepherd.
The prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah had already denounced the bad shepherds of Israel. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (cf. Jn 10:1-18), who goes in search of the lost sheep, who knows his sheep and is known by them, because they recognize his voice. This weariness of the crowds also reminds us of the invitation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Mt 11:28-30). Jesus has compassion; he does not come to impose a heavy yoke, the strict observance of the Law in the manner of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, who loaded other people’s shoulders with heavy burdens and would not lift a finger to move them (cf. Mt 23:4). He gives a new heart, capable of fulfilling the Law from within. Let yourself be looked upon by this Jesus who has compassion on your situation, whatever your abandonment may be.
2. “Ask the master of the harvest…”
“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Mt 9:38)
Why does Jesus ask us to pray for laborers, if he already knows our need? Because the Lord wants us to express our desire. It is the same as when he asks the blind man of Jericho: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Lk 18:41a). He already knew that the blind man wanted to see, but he waited for the heart to manifest itself: “Lord, let me see again!” (Lk 18:41c). So too, in prayer for priestly and religious vocations, we are invited to ask for more laborers for the harvest.
But does God wait only for us to ask? Our prayer must also be a response. We can respond like Isaiah: “Here I am; send me!” (Is 6:8c); like Matthew, who got up and followed him (cf. Mt 9:9); or we can do like Jonah, who fled far from the Lord (cf. Jon 1:3). What is your response? And it is never too late. Sometimes we think: I am already old, I no longer have the age for it. But it is never too late to hear the voice of God. Let us remember the laborers of the last hour, called at the end of the day, and yet rewarded (cf. Mt 20:1-16).
The call is not always to the priesthood or to religious life. Often it is in daily life: to be a good doctor, a good professional, to serve in the parish, to help in the soup kitchen, to dedicate a few hours on the World Day of the Poor. The harvest asks for many kinds of laborers: shepherds, doctors, exorcists, builders who build upon the rock, merchants who seek the precious pearl of the Kingdom. God does not want a single type. The principal call is to have a heart like that of Jesus, compassionate. If you have this heart, what you do will follow as a consequence, and he himself will give you the ability to accomplish what he asks of you. If you are young and feel a call, do not be afraid to seek it: you will only know whether you have the vocation if you take the step in faith.
3. He gave them power and authority
“Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them power over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.” (Mt 10:1)
The liturgical text says “…gave them power…”. The translations of the TOB and the Jerusalem Bible say “gave them authority”. They are distinct realities, and Luke, in the parallel passage of the mission of the Twelve, brings the two together: “gave them power and authority” (Lk 9:1). In Greek, “power” is dynamis, the capacity to accomplish; authority is exousia. Jesus gives the disciples the power, the capacity to heal and to cast out unclean spirits, and they did indeed heal and cast out demons. Authority, on the other hand, is a delegation of what belongs to Jesus. The authority over unclean spirits and the forgiveness of sins are of the divine order, but it is the authority that Jesus will later hand on formally to the apostles in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, transmitted to Peter and his successors, the Pope, and the bishops from generation to generation. Right after Pentecost we see this delegation happen clearly: the apostles choose, lay on hands, and send the deacons for a specific mission. It was not something merely organic; it was a clear ordination. So too Paul laid hands on Timothy and Titus and left them as responsible for the communities in Ephesus and Crete. In the Gospel of Saint Mark, this sending appears linked to the anointing with oil (cf. Mk 6:12-13), which prefigures the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
Every disciple called to evangelize shares in this power. Perhaps you say that you do not heal the sick. And have you been praying for that healing? The Lord continues to answer, often in unexpected ways, for the sake of evangelization and not for ourselves. When we place ourselves before God in asking, he accomplishes.
4. The Twelve Apostles, the new Israel
“The names of the twelve apostles are these… Jesus sent out these twelve…” (Mt 10:2,5)
Why did Jesus call only twelve, if he asked for more people for the harvest? Luke also records the sending of the seventy-two (cf. Lk 10:1), and Saint Paul speaks of more than five hundred brothers who saw the Risen One (cf. 1 Cor 15:6). But the number twelve has a meaning of its own: it signifies the new Israel, the new People of God. As God called the twelve tribes in the Old Testament to form the people of Israel, now the Twelve are the beginning of a new people, no longer according to flesh and blood, but by faith.
The word Church, ekklesia (in Greek), means convocation, an assembly of those called together. We enter the Church and become the new People of God, a people constituted by faith. It is what Jesus will say throughout his public life: Who is my mother, who are my brothers? Those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice (cf. Lk 8:21). To hear the Word, to place oneself as a disciple, and to go after him: this is the new Israel, which is us, the Church.
The first sending is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but it soon extends to all the nations: Go to all peoples (cf. Mt 28:19). One need not wait for everything to be perfect in order to proclaim. If one had to wait for each place to be fully evangelized before setting out, no one would ever have left Israel. The Lord sends first to his own house and, at the same time, to the whole world. Wherever there is someone who needs to hear the Gospel, there the mission is present. And what touches the heart and converts is always God; our presence, however small, already makes a difference.
5. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give
“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Mt 10:8d)
The last point is gratuitousness. Every grace is a gift of God. The Lord pours himself out in grace because he is compassionate, and so we return to the beginning of the Gospel: Jesus has compassion because he has a merciful heart, a heart of generosity that gives itself entirely. This is the disposition he expects of his disciples. Just as they saw him give himself freely, so too they must give.
No one deserves anything by their own merit. If it were by merit, we would still be in sin. It is what Saint Paul says in the Letter to the Romans: Christ died for us while we were still sinners (cf. Rom 5:8). To have the heart of Jesus — meek, humble, compassionate — is also to have compassion on others. If we look at people and remain indifferent, saying that everyone should fend for themselves, it is a sign that we do not yet have the heart of Christ. Just as you were reached by this grace, the Lord calls you to proclaim him to others. That is why we ask you to pass this Word on to more people: it is not we who touch the heart; it is the grace of Jesus that acts through us, insufficient instruments, as Pope Benedict XVI used to say. The one who gives the grace is he, and he himself will do it through you.
Do not be afraid to say yes to your vocation, to seek the voice of God for your life today. Ask yourself: what can I do today for the poor, for the needy, for my own soul? If it has been a long time since you went to Mass, go to Mass. If it has been a long time since you sought God, go to confession. Perhaps this is the sign you were waiting for. Draw near to Jesus. This too may be God’s call for you today: to be closer to him. At any age, the Lord has a mission and wants to make you an instrument for many people.
Steps of the Lectio Divina
The Lectio Divina is the prayerful reading of the Word of God. Set aside a time of silence, invoke the Holy Spirit, and go calmly through these steps, praying with this Gospel yourself.
1. Reading (Lectio). What does the text say? Read attentively, more than once, in a low voice, this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 9:36–10:8). Note or underline the words that most catch your attention.
2. Meditation (Meditatio). What does the text say to me? Return to the five points above and let a word or image touch your heart: the compassion of Jesus, the request for laborers, power and authority, the Twelve, gratuitousness.
3. Prayer (Oratio). What do I say to God from the text? Respond to the Lord in your own words. You may pray with the prayer above, asking for a compassionate heart like that of Jesus and for good vocations for the harvest.
4. Contemplation (Contemplatio). What new gaze does God give me? Remain in silence before the Lord, letting yourself be looked upon by him, who has compassion on you and knows you by name.
5. Action (Actio). To what is the Lord calling me today? Make a concrete resolution: to return to Mass, to go to confession, to serve a brother or sister, to say yes to a call. And share this Word with someone in your family or among your friends.
Until next week!
Shalom!
From Monday to Saturday we have a short video; on Sunday, our podcast with the Sunday Gospel for you to meditate and pray. Subscribe to the channel and invite others, so that more people may love the Word of God. Leave your “like” and forward it to your friends. God bless you. Shalom!
Podcast video: https://youtu.be/WQfSkMl6ve0 — with subtitles you can select in your language.
