Matthew 10: 1-7
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Communicating Our Faith
Like any good manager, Jesus has realized he must delegate and prioritize.
Just before the start to today’s reading, Jesus looks on the crowds around him and has compassion for them. He addresses his disciples saying ““The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Mt 9:37). Our reading today picks up with the very next line.
I was originally put off by the way Jesus restricts the twelve, telling them not to visit the Gentiles or the Samaritans but instead focus on the lost sheep of Israel. But perhaps, as a good manager, he is delegating a “simpler task” to start to train his apostles for their new roles.
Preaching to the lost sheep of Israel meant that they would be speaking to an audience with some background knowledge. When they arrive saying “The kingdom of heaven has come near” they are less likely to be met with blank faces.
When we talk about our faith, do we consider the audience in front of us as well?
—John Byrd is communications manager for American Jesuits International.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to move beyond ourselves,
and to set out in search of truth.
Teach us to go out and see,
teach us to listen,
not to entertain prejudices
or draw hasty conclusions.
Teach us to go where no one else will go,
to take the time needed to understand,
to pay attention to the essentials,
not to be distracted by the superfluous,
to distinguish deceptive appearances from the truth.
Grant us the grace to recognise your dwelling places in our world
and the honesty needed to tell others what we have seen.
—Pope Francis’ Prayer for Communications