Matthew 9:36-10:8
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
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.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.”
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.
Proclaiming the Kingdom
Have you ever seen a tour group without a guide? It is a pitiable, and admittedly humorous, sight. This experience might give us a glimpse into how Jesus felt when he caught sight of the crowds who were like sheep without a shepherd. We hunger for community and relationship in a world where it is so easy to be alienated from one other. Yet Jesus reminds us that external markers of community are not enough to satisfy this hunger. Our communities must be centered around Jesus who gives direction, purpose, and support to our lives. Jesus does not do this alone. He calls us to participate in his work of proclaiming the Kingdom–whether at our jobs, in our parishes, or in various social settings.
Where in our lives is Jesus calling us to proclaim the Gospel and cultivate Christian communities?
—Tom Hellenbrand, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province studying philosophy at Saint Louis University.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, give me the Spirit.
—St. Peter Favre, SJ