Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 91
Reading 1
In those days, the Israelites came to the
desert of Sinai and pitched camp.
While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain,
Moses went up the mountain to God.
Then the LORD called to him and said,
“Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob;
tell the Israelites:
You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings
and brought you here to myself.
Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession,
dearer to me than all other people,
though all the earth is mine.
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (3c) We are his people: the sheep of
his flock.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
Christ, while we were still helpless,
yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ 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.
The names of the twelve apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Jesus sent out these twelve after
instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather 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.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
“THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!”
Jesus lamented that the harvest was abundant, but the laborers were few. What was true then, can be seen today. There are so many demands on our time and things in society have a propensity to distract us from what is truly important in life, that it becomes easy to ignore our relationship with Jesus Christ; earthly priorities taking precedent over the spiritual. It is very surprising how this can happen, even when we have the best intentions at heart. We are constantly bombarded with different messages and all sorts of information with the intent to do exactly that. There are forces aligned against us and our faith can be tested daily. Our reaction to these tests can either strengthen us or make us weaker, depending on If part of that answer is Jesus Christ or not.
There is a longing for God in all of us, a seed planted that has its routes back to the beginning of creation. Created in the image of God, means that there is a “spark of divinity” in all of us. Created out of love, to be loved, and to love means that love is a part of us. The source of love is God, so our heart naturally longs for Him. Just as it is written in Psalm 63:
“ O God, you are
my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land
without water.”
This can happen when we are open to feeling God’s presence in our lives. When we are touched by Him, and then react to His presence. We can also react to His lack of presence, when we find out we are alone, our self-will having pulled ourselves away from Him. In a moment of clarity, we come to the realization that we are lost and need Him. Here we finally cry out to Him for help: we are truly one of the lost sheep. As Jesus has said, He is the true shepherd, and He will respond to our call.
But how do we respond to His call? He has never stopped calling us to love Him. We were the ones that stopped listening. That is why, when in a moment of clarity, we call to Him and His response then comes. We can also be reminded that He has always been with us, it is just that we forgot; placing more importance on ourselves then on a relationship with Him. The disciples announced that the Kingdom of God was at hand.
Jesus told His disciples,
“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
They became the workers in the field and they started to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. Jesus became the disciples’ shepherd and then the disciples became the shepherds for all of the towns they visited and crowds they met. This is how Christian Living works: God loves us, God calls to us, we respond, and we let God in. Our lives will then transform into something much better, His guiding hand a presence that we can welcome. We then go out and spread the Good News through evangelization and by just being present with Jesus for everyone to see.
Consider the way God spoke to the Israelites and how He said,
“I bore you up on eagle wings.”
All the effort was on God’s part, not the Israelites. The only thing that we need to do is react to God’s presence and let Him do the work. The changes that we experience will come naturally when we stop fighting. Surrendering ourselves to God puts us in a position to listen. We can put the gift of wisdom to good use.
The next verse of Psalm 63 demonstrates what this surrendering looks like and the spiritual implications it can have for us:
“So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.”
Through meditative prayer or regular prayer, there is a reaction that occurs, which brings the writer closer to God; entering into relationship with Him. As long as we want it, we will get it! We bless God and follow Him, then only blessings will come forth.
An abundant harvest is always a good thing. To achieve success and not have a grain of wheat is wasted, is the will of Jesus Christ. He died for us so that we may live the Christ Experience and increase our experiences in this world into something greater that we cannot even imagine.
In the meantime, remember that His kingdom is at hand and we all have work to do.
Deacon Tom
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