Weekly Reflections
The Five Discourses in the Gospel of Matthew
In Christianity, the term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific discourses by Jesus within the Gospel of Matthew. These five discourses are, according to some scholars, meant to reflect/recall the first five books of the Jewish Scriptures.
In Christianity, the term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific discourses by Jesus within the Gospel of Matthew.
These five discourses are, according to some scholars, meant to reflect/recall the first five books of the Jewish Scriptures. The five discourses are listed as the following: the Sermon on the Mount, the Mission Discourse, the Parabolic Discourse, the Discourse on the Church, and the Discourse on End Times.
Each of the discourses has a shorter parallel in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Luke.[3]
Structure:
The first discourse
Matthew 5-7
The first discourse (Matthew 5–7) is called the Sermon on the Mount and is one of the best known and most quoted parts of the New Testament.[6] It includes the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer and the Golden Rule. To most believers in
Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship.[6] The Beatitudes are a key element of this sermon, and are often expressed as a set of blessings. Jesus presents the Beatitudes as a list of those he considered "blessed," or "fortunate," (due to his arrival and their subsequent invitation into the "Kingdom of Heaven"), as opposed to Ben Sira's list of "blessed" peoples (Ben Sira 25:7-11). The Beatitudes work as a welcoming statement to this group of people, and as an introduction to the sermon.[7][8]
The second discourse
The second discourse in Matthew 10 provides instructions to the Twelve Apostles and is sometimes called the Mission Discourse or the Missionary Discourse[5] or the Little Commission in contrast to the Great Commission. This discourse is directed to the twelve apostles who are named in Matthew 10:2-3. In the discourse Jesus advises them how to travel from city to city, carry no belongings and to preach only to Israelite communities. He tells them to be wary of opposition, but have no fear for they will be told what to say to defend themselves when needed: "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.", as also stated similarly in Luke 12:12.[9]
The third discourse
The third discourse in Matthew 13 (verses 1-52) provides several parables for the Kingdom of Heaven and is often called the Parabolic Discourse.[5] The first part of this discourse, in Matthew 13:1-35 takes place outside when Jesus leaves a house and sits near the Lake to address the disciples as well as the multitudes of people who have gathered to hear him.[10] This part includes the parables of the Sower, the Tares, the Mustard Seed and the Leaven. In the second part Jesus goes back inside the house and addresses the disciples. This part includes the parables of the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl and Drawing in the Net.[10]
The fourth discourse
The fourth discourse in Matthew 18 is often called the Discourse on the Church.[5] It includes the parables of The Lost Sheep and The Unforgiving Servant which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it.[11][12] Addressing his apostles in 18:18, Jesus states: "what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven", see also Binding and loosing. This power is first given to Peter in chapter 16 after Peter confesses that Jesus is the "son of the living God". In addition to the powers of binding and loosing, Peter is given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and is sometimes considered the "rock" on which Christ built his Church. The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the anticipated community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.[11][12]
The fifth discourse
Matthew 23, Matthew 24, and Matthew 25
Although assessments of its scope vary, the final discourse can be taken to include Matthew 23, 24, and 25. Matthew 24 is usually called the Olivet Discourse, because it was given on the Mount of Olives; it is also referred to as the Discourse on the End Times.[5] The discourse corresponds to Mark 13 and Luke 21 and is mostly about judgment and the expected conduct of the followers of Jesus, and the need for vigilance by the followers in view of the coming judgment.[14] The discourse is prompted by a question the disciples ask about the "end of the age" (end times or end of this world and beginning of the world to come),[15] and receives the longest response provided by Jesus in the New Testament.[16] The discourse is generally viewed as referring both to the coming destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, as well as the End Times and Second Coming of Christ, but the many scholarly opinions about the overlap of these two issues, and exactly which verses refer to which event remain divided and complex.
Matthew Chapter 10 Text and Notes on Second Discourse
Chapter 10 of Matthew is the entire second discourse of Jesus of which today’s Gospel is a part. It sometimes helps to see the context of the Sunday reading:
Matthew Chapter 10:
Chapter 10 of Matthew is the entire second discourse of Jesus of which today’s Gospel is a part. It sometimes helps to see the context of the Sunday reading:
The Mission of the Twelve.
1 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.
2 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;
3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
The Commissioning of the Twelve.
5 Jesus sent out these twelve* after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’\
8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
9 Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
10 no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep.
11 Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave.
12 As you enter a house, wish it peace.
13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.*
14 Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
15 Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Coming Persecutions.
16j “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
17* But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues,
18 and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.
19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
20 For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end* will be saved.
23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.
25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!
Courage Under Persecution.
26p “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
30 Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32* Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
Jesus: A Cause of Division.
34t “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
35 For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
The Conditions of Discipleship.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38 and whoever does not take up his cross* and follow after me is not worthy of me.
39*Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards.
40 “Whoever receives you receives me,* and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
41*Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.
42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
NOTES on MATTHEW 10:
* [10:1–11:1] After an introductory narrative (Mt 10:1–4), this chapter covers the second of the 5 major discourses of Matthew’s gospel. (see separate sheet for the five major discourses in Matthew) this second discourse deals with the mission now to be undertaken by the disciples (Mt 10:5–15), but the perspective broadens and includes the missionary activity of the church between the time of the resurrection and the Parousia (second coming).
* [10:1] His twelve disciples: although, unlike Mark (Mk 3:13–14) and Luke (Lk 6:12–16), Matthew has no story of Jesus’ choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The earliest New Testament text to speak of it is 1 Cor 15:5. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus’ authority to call all Israel into the kingdom. While Luke (Lk 6:13) and probably Mark (Mk 4:10, 34) distinguish between the Twelve and a larger group also termed disciples, Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve. Authority…every illness: activities the same as those of Jesus; see Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35; 10:8. The Twelve also share in his proclamation of the kingdom (Mt 10:7). But although he teaches (Mt 4:23; 7:28; 9:35), they do not. Their commission to teach comes only after Jesus’ resurrection, after they have been fully instructed by him (Mt 28:20).
* [10:2–4] Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15).
* [10:5–6] Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry.
* [10:8–11] The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them.
* [10:13] The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker.
* [10:14] Shake the dust from your feet: this gesture indicates a complete disassociation from such unbelievers.
* [10:17] The persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission now begin to be spoken of. Here Matthew brings into the discourse sayings found in Mk 13 which deals with events preceding the parousia.
* [10:21] See Mi 7:6 which is cited in Mt 10:35, 36.
* [10:22] To the end: the original meaning was probably “until the parousia.” But it is not likely that Matthew expected no missionary disciples to suffer death before then, since he envisages the martyrdom of other Christians (Mt 10:21). For him, the end is probably that of the individual’s life (see Mt 10:28).
* [10:23] Before the Son of Man comes: since the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age had not taken place when this gospel was written, much less during the mission of the Twelve during Jesus’ ministry, Matthew cannot have meant the coming to refer to the parousia. It is difficult to know what he understood it to be: perhaps the “proleptic parousia” of Mt 28:16–20, or the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, viewed as a coming of Jesus in judgment on unbelieving Israel.
* [10:25] Beelzebul: see Mt 9:34 for the charge linking Jesus with “the prince of demons,” who is named Beelzebul in Mt 12:24. The meaning of the name is uncertain; possibly, “lord of the house.”
* [10:26] The concealed and secret coming of the kingdom is to be proclaimed by them, and no fear must be allowed to deter them from that proclamation.
* [10:32–33] In the Q parallel (Lk 12:8–9), the Son of Man will acknowledge those who have acknowledged Jesus, and those who deny him will be denied (by the Son of Man) before the angels of God at the judgment. Here Jesus and the Son of Man are identified, and the acknowledgment or denial will be before his heavenly Father.
* [10:38] The first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens.
* [10:39] One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom.
* [10:40–42] All who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly.
* [10:41] A prophet: one who speaks in the name of God; here, the Christian prophets who proclaim the gospel. Righteous man: since righteousness is demanded of all the disciples, it is difficult to take the righteous man of this verse and one of these little ones (Mt 10:42) as indicating different groups within the followers of Jesus. Probably all three designations are used here of Christian missionaries as such.
Cross references to other scriptural texts:
a. [10:1–4] Mk 3:14–19; Lk 6:13–16; Acts 1:13.
b. [10:5–15] Mk 6:7–13; Lk 9:1–6.
e. [10:9–10] Mk 6:8–9; Lk 9:3; 10:4.
f. [10:10] Lk 10:7; 1 Cor 9:14; 1 Tm 5:18.
g. [10:11–15] Mk 6:10–11; Lk 9:4–5; 10:5–12.
h. [10:14] Acts 13:51; 18:6.
i. [10:15] 11:24; Gn 19:1–29; Jude 7.
k. [10:17–22] Mk 13:9–13; Lk 21:12–19.
m. [10:19] Ex 4:11–12; Jer 1:6–10; Lk 12:11–12.
o. [10:24–25] Lk 6:40; Jn 13:16; 15:20.
q. [10:26] Mk 4:22; Lk 8:17; 1 Tm 5:25.
s. [10:33] Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26; 2 Tm 2:12; Rev 3:5.
u. [10:37–39] 16:24–25; Lk 14:26–27.
v. [10:39] Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24; Jn 12:25.
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 25, 2023
When doing what God calls you to do, do not be afraid
Gospel: Matthew 10: 26–33
Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
When doing what God calls you to do, do not be afraid
Matthew 10: 26–33
“So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the house tops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.”
Music Meditations
- Be Not Afraid—Vince Ambrosetti
- It Is Well With My Soul—Andre Assad
- You Are Near—Vince Ambrosetti
- Whom Shall I Fear—Chris Tomlin (Praise and Worship)
Opening Prayer
Jesus, when I get a chance to acknowledge you before others today, help me to trust I am doing your will. Give me the strength and the courage to believe in myself and in my value to you and to live my life with honesty and with compassion for others. Help me to do your work in your world.
Companions for the Journey
From “First Impressions”, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:
Matthew’s community must have been going through an experience similar to Jeremiah’s in the first reading—living and speaking about their faith were causing pain and fear among them. Like Jeremiah in the first reading, they may have even been quite vocal in their bewilderment and disappointment because things weren’t turning out the way they had hoped. Otherwise, Matthew would never have recorded these frank and consoling words of Jesus. Jesus is reminding his followers that because of him, they will suffer persecution. The saying about the sparrows has ominous tones: God knows when even a minuscule sparrow “falls to the ground.” There is a hint here of the disciples themselves having to face even death (“fall to the ground”) as Jesus’ followers. I don’t know if I have to fear being killed or imprisoned for my faith; but living that faith does have its costs and may even cause pain, or at least daily sacrifice and inconvenience.
They are not to be afraid because of the small, seeming insignificance of their project in the light of the world powers around them. Now—the good news is “concealed” and “secret,” known by only a few. Now—Jesus speaks in “darkness” and his message is “whispered” to them. But someday all will be “revealed” and “known.” In our modern world of high speed internet access, million-dollar television commercials and “gliterrati,” living out our faith in Christ can make us feel out-shouted, overridden and insignificant. Judging from the more dominant voices and forces around us, our Christian approach to life can seem diminutive and without influence as the world makes decisions that affect the destinies of present and future populations and of the planet itself.
Jesus promises his message will be “proclaimed on the housetops.” How? Some people in our history have been very forthright proclaimers, they have been like people standing on roof tops for all to see and hear. But most of us are afraid of such heights and our call might be less spectacular, but still requiring courage. I read this Brazilian proverb recently, “Your head thinks from the spot you plant your feet.” We have planted our feet with Christ and he invites our heads to think and our hearts to feel from that spot. We must, if we are standing with Christ, acknowledge him by lives and words that are recognizable as having him as their source.
Jesus predicts a sign by which we will know we are being faithful to him—when we are standing on his side of honesty, concern, forgiveness, trust, community, etc—we will stir upon opposition. His message will stir up strife. He is aware that, just as he found resistance to his teaching, so will his followers. So he tells them, “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body...,” for they have power, but only over the body. God’s power is more sweeping and total, in fact, Jesus says, God “...can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” But the disciple is not to fear, because God cares about each of us and every part of us, right down to the hairs on our heads. If birds fall under God’s care, how much more do we?
This reminder about God’s care for us isn’t a guarantee we will have an easy ride as God’s servants. Jeremiah has already voiced the feelings of abandonment, disappointment and dismay one might feel in the face of the rejection God’s witnesses often experience. Jesus uses the example of sparrows falling and dying and God’s concern for them, to reassure us that in the face of trials and even death, God will care for us. Jesus is not going to leave us alone, however, he will not exempt himself from our struggles. He says he will “acknowledge” us before God. This image suggests he stands with us and claims us as one of his own. When the going gets tough, he is right in the thick of things with us.
Last week Jesus once again called us and sent us out. If we have reflected on our lives this past week, we know being sent into the world to live our beliefs in Christ is “easier said than done.” It’s a rough world out there for those who want to practice their faith. We come back here this Sunday for a breather from some harsh realities; but also to be refueled so we can do what we know Jesus would have us do.
Weekly Memorization
Taken from the gospel for today’s session…
Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Living the Good News
What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?
Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:
Reflection Questions
- What part does fear play in the actions of the world, say, in economics, in political decisions, in war, in individual defensive behaviors?
- Have you ever taken on a worthwhile project only to discover that you have bitten off much more that you could chew?
What did you do? - What frightens you most and causes you to lose hope at times?
- Do you have a special image (like the sparrow) that restores your confidence and hope?
- Where do you find Christ in your life and in the world around you?
- “Jesus did not call us to be successful, He called us to be faithful.” (St. Teresa of Calcutta) Do you agree?
- Have you ever at any time allowed fear of someone or something to control you so that you were unable to speak the truth?
How did you feel? - Have you ever been intimidated by peer pressure so that you did something you did not want to do or failed to do something you thought you should do?
- Have you ever had an opportunity to acknowledge to Jesus before others?
How did it turn out for you? - Describe a time when you were anxious about an event and it turned out fine.
- Can I remember that I do not have to have an answer for everything in the world that is difficult or confusing?
- Can I trust in God and let God take care of the things that I cannot?
Meditations
A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:
Let us explore the notion of fear and the power of fear. There was a very popular TV show called Monk, that explored the adventures of an obsessive-compulsive genius detective who had at least 38 documented phobias. On the show’s website a tongue-in-cheek dictionary of phobias was provided. Among the phobias listed were some creative entries:
Altophobia: Fear of heights.
Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Ballistophobia: Fear of missiles or bullets.
Ecclesiophobia: Fear of church
Frigophobia: Fear of cold
Gamophobia: Fear of marriage
Glossophobia: Fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak
Homilophobia: Fear of sermons
Obesophobia: Fear of gaining weight
Peladophobia: Fear of bald people
Phalacrophobia: Fear of becoming bald
Phasmophobia: Fear of ghosts
Testophobia: Fear of taking tests
We all have fears. Many things we fear for no reason. Some things we don’t fear that we should. In this Gospel Jesus describes the proper locus, or place, of fear. What is it? What things do I fear that I should not, and what things do I not fear that I should?
A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship:
Julian of Norwich was a medieval mystic who had revelations from Jesus she called “Showings”, and which are considered some of the classic writings of Western Spirituality. This is taken from one of her “Showings”:
And these words: “You will not be overcome”, were said very insistently and strongly, for certainty and strength against every tribulation which may come. He did not say: “You will not be troubled, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted”; but he said: “You will not be overcome”. God wants us to pay attention to these words, and always to be strong in faithful trust, in well-being and in woe, for he loves us and delights in us, and so he wishes us to love him and delight in him and trust greatly in him, and all will be well. (Julian of Norwich, Showings, p.315).
It is easy to trust God when things are going reasonably well. Trust in God, and especially hope in God, are harder to come by in times of stress or sorrow. Think of something that is worrying you right now, and try to read over these words of Julian, praying for a greater faith and hope in the God who loves us so much.
A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination
Psalm 69 (from 12th Sunday, year A)
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.5 You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.13 But I pray to you, Lord in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.22 May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—may your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
One thing we forget about the psalms is how honest and raw they are. The Jewish people, in speaking with God, in lamenting their situation, do not necessarily use their “inside voices”. This shows us how close the Jewish people felt to God that they could be truly authentic in their despair and anger, and truly trusting that they would be heard.
In the preceding psalm, imagine that you are listening to the psalm writer as she is complaining to you. What is the situation that has him so upset and afraid? Which of her complaints to you really sympathize with? Which seem to be exaggerated? Is the exaggeration understandable, given his humanity? Have you ever been in a situation where you have been overwhelmed by despair and fear? If not, can you think of some instances in which someone might feel this way? How do you react to his desire to have his tormentors punished and really hurt? How do you think Jesus would respond to verses 22-28? Which of the verses in this do you identify with; which do you disown? Now imagine that you are God, listening to this kind of anger and fear constantly. What does it tell you about the love and understanding of God that God has so much patience with all of our kvetching? What do you want to say to God in return?
Write you own psalm to God (short or long) about your life right now… Be honest.
Poetic reflection:
This poem is a revision of an earlier set of Paradoxical Commandments by Kent Keith. A related version is engraved on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta:
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.
Poetic Reflection:
What do you fear?
“Fear”
Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the past rising up. Fear of the present taking flight. Fear of the telephone that rings in the dead of night. Fear of electrical storms. Fear of the cleaning woman who has a spot on her cheek! Fear of dogs I’ve been told won’t bite. Fear of anxiety! Fear of having to identify the body of a dead friend. Fear of running out of money. Fear of having too much, though people will not believe this. Fear of psychological profiles. Fear of being late and fear of arriving before anyone else. Fear of my children’s handwriting on envelopes. Fear they’ll die before I do, and I’ll feel guilty. Fear of having to live with my mother in her old age, and mine. Fear of confusion. Fear this day will end on an unhappy note. Fear of waking up to find you gone. Fear of not loving and fear of not loving enough. Fear that what I love will prove lethal to those I love. Fear of death. Fear of living too long. Fear of death. I’ve said that.
—Raymond Carver
Further reading:
Sayings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta >>
Closing Prayer
I give thanks to you, Lord, for what I have learned about myself and about you in my prayer this week. I pray also for the courage I need to let my experience of you, Jesus, be evident in my life. Help me to turn fear into resolution, turn despair and hopelessness into joy.
Sayings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
“Peace begins with a smile.”
“We fear the future because we are wasting today.”
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.”
“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
“A life not lived for others is not a life.”
“I prefer you to make mistakes in kindness than work miracles in unkindness.”
“If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.”
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
“God doesn’t require us to succeed, he only requires that you try.”
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
“Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
“Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.”
“True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray to God and ask Him to give us the courage to love.”
“I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”
“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”
“Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier.”
“One of the realities we’re all called to go through is to move from repulsion to compassion and from compassion to wonderment.”
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realise it.”
“Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family.”
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, feed just one.”
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”
“Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self.”
“Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.”
“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”
“Life is a challenge; we must take it.”
“Poverty was not created by God. It is we who have caused it, you and I through our egotism.”
“People are unrealistic, illogical, and self-centr “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
“Joy is a net of love in which you can catch souls.”
“Work without love is slavery.”
“The way you help heal the world is you start with your own family.”
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
“Yes, you must live life beautifully and not allow the spirit of the world that makes gods out of power, riches, and pleasure make you to forget that you have been created for greater things.”
“We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.”
“I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.”
“We do not need guns and bombs to bring peace, we need love and compassion.”
“The person who gives with a smile is the best giver because God loves a cheerful giver.”
“One filled with the joy preaches without preaching.”
“I do not pray for success; I ask for faithfulness.”
“I know I am touching the living body of Christ in the broken bodies of the hungry and the suffering.”
“Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 18, 2023
We have a mission to the world, not just nurturing personal spirituality or even that of the Church
Gospel: Matthew 9:36–10:8
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
We have a mission to the world, not just nurturing personal spirituality or even that of the Church
Matthew 9:36—10:8
Chapter 9:36-38 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 sent out laborers for his harvest. Chapter 10:1-8 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.a 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 the Cananean, 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.
Music Meditations
- We Are His People, the Sheep of His Flock Francesca LeRosa
- Christ Has No Body Now But Yours John Michael Talbot
- Whatsoever you do-Robert Kochis
- Be Thou my Vision-various- Enya is especially prayerful
- Servant song-Maranatha
Opening Prayer
Jesus, your good news of the love and forgiveness of God being poured out on people like me is both a comfort and a challenge. Help me to reflect your care and compassion to all those I meet. Help me to be disciple.
Companions for the Journey
From ‘First Impressions’ 2023, a service of the Southern Dominican Province:
Recently a woman described her work to me and brought this gospel to mind. She works for a charitable foundation that addresses the needs of homeless families, with special attention to poor children. As a baptized person she takes her vocation as a Christian very seriously. She said, “I never think of religion as something I do once a week at church – with a few prayers thrown in during the week for good measure. I realized years ago that my faith has to be the center of my life and influence every thing I do, every decision I make – that I had to look out at the world with the eyes of Jesus. That’s what my baptism means to me.”
My friend said she wanted to look out at the world with the “eyes of Jesus.”
I think of her because of what Jesus saw in today’s gospel. It begins: “At the sight of the crowds Jesus was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd.” The woman I described said she became very aware of the needs of the poor. She felt that things were stacked against them. When budget cuts were made they were the first to suffer; they were the bottom of the totem pole – especially the homeless and those who had no political clout. So, she took a position with a small agency, an advocacy group for homeless families. “Frankly,” she said, “I earn less money than I would have elsewhere; but I believe I have a call.” She works and advocates for homeless families, working to get yearly grants to serve them. She has to raise two million dollars a year. She has a board of 30 volunteers who must work on that project of fund raising with her.
“And that’s the rub,” she said, “those 30 people! They are very nice, but some drive me crazy! They are not always efficient and available. This last time, as we got down to the wire finishing off the paper work, I had the hardest time gathering their necessary signatures. A few left for vacation trips and hadn’t signed the proposal. I went chasing after them so we could meet the deadline and raise the crucial two million dollars we needed to serve our clients. We would collapse without the money and people would suffer. Some people could drive you crazy! The only thing that holds us together is our vision of the needs of others – those needy families. We have a project and we think alike on it. Thank God, otherwise there are days when I could strangle some of them!”
Jesus sees the “troubled and abandoned” crowds and he has a concern. He must have help to address their needs, So he calls together the Twelve – his first official disciples. He shares his vision with them; he invites them to see what he sees. They accept his invitation to follow him and to see with his eyes. But that doesn’t mean they would have gotten together socially – joined a bowling club together, or had each other over for a 4th of July barbecue. We know that from the list and brief descriptions Matthew gives of the first disciples.
Simon and Andrew were brothers. They probably got along, but what did their families think of their dropping their fishing nets to go off with the itinerant preacher? Not all families share our ideals. The woman I described said that her parents thought she could make more money working for a bank, or a brokerage house: after all, she has the skills necessary to lead a team and raise two million dollars.
James and John were also brothers. Mark says Jesus gave them the nickname, “sons of thunder” – Boanerges. It doesn’t take much imagination to deduce how they got that name! Then there was Matthew himself, a tax-collector, a traitor to the cause of Israel because he collected taxes for the Romans. Simon was of the Zealot party. Zealots were super-nationalists, burning with zeal for the liberation of Israel. Some were terrorists against the Romans. I wonder what it would be like to invite the tax collector and the Zealot over for tea!
There are moments in the gospel when the apostles’ diverging personalities flared and Jesus had to reign them in. How did he do that? By continually keeping their vision clear; reminding them of the purpose for which he invited them and by urging them not to follow their own interests and priorities. He said that if they wanted to follow him they would have to make personal sacrifices, put aside their differences and focus instead on the needs of others. “Pick up your cross daily.”
Jesus brings this unlikely group together, he and his vision are the binding elements that keep them from fragmenting. Little by little he helps them look out at the world around them – with his eyes. He knows who they are; how different they are. And even though he is not finished with them yet; even though they may feel inadequate to the task, without degrees in Philosophy and Theology, not religious experts – he sends them out. They have been learning to see with his eyes and to notice and tend to those who are sick, those considered unclean, the lepers of society; the dead in body or spirit; those possessed of other spirits, who are “not themselves,” because they are crazed and distracted. Those Jesus sends are to invite the very ones Jesus would have invited, so that they too will learn and receive what the disciples learned and received from Jesus.
Many of us here in church today probably aren’t part of the same social circles. We certainly aren’t all family members. Probably there are some here we’d wish would just go to another church! We are here, not because we are naturally drawn to each other, but because we were baptized. The same water was poured over us and the same words said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We have been called out, named the way the Twelve are named for us today. And like them, we too are sent. We are like that woman who works for the homeless. As she said, “Each of us has to look around us.” In some way, where we live, work, recreate and go to school, we are called to see with Jesus’ eyes, and act accordingly.
No one can tell us exactly where and when we are to respond to Jesus’ call. We will just have to look out and see and hear the way Jesus did. And through our baptism, that is what we are being prompted and empowered to do. Today we pray for each of us: “Help us see what you want of us, help us not settle on being just occasional Christians, but “full time Christians.” Give us sensitive sight, your eyes, for the world. We pray too for those recently baptized, that our example will help them have vision and sensitivity to those who need them.”
Further reading:
Weekly Memorization
Taken from the gospel for today’s session…
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Living the Good News
What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion?
Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:
Reflection Questions
Meditations
A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:
From Sacred Space:
I travel in imagination with Jesus as he make his journeys. I ask him what gives him so much energy to serve the sick, many of whom must have been frightening to look at and to touch. He chats with me about compassion, and I ask that my small heart may to be as compassionate as him. I sense his compassion towards me, and it comforts me.
A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:
What are we to do with the mandate given to the Apostles, and by inheritance given to us? A good place to start is with the corporal works of Mercy: to feed the hungry to give drink to the thirsty to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travelers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, to bury the dead. (This can include being present to those who are grieving) Spend some time at the end of each day reflecting on when you did more than avoid sin; but reflecting on the positive good you created by reaching out to others.
Poetic Reflection:
Father Ed Ingebretsen, S.J., captures the spirt of the gospel:
“Lonely Christ”
Lonely Christ
I pray to you.
You are a puzzle to me
as those I love
always are.My soul is at odds
with the words.
What mad reach of mine
touches any thread of you?
Or what of mine, arms or eyes,
ever shares with people
where they may lie—
as they always do—
in a hard place!What of mine shall make good
their taking of a breath,
their rising, caring, feeding
their sleeping in fear—
what shall make good
their slight faith,
their enormous promises
made in iron
for a child, man, a woman—what of mine shall be with the people
as they caress a special grief
fondled again and again
In bludgeoned love?What do I bring
with which to clutch
the merest hint of your shadow?
Literary (sort of) Reflection:
Three very powerful movies tell the stories of those Jesuits and Trappists who, in times of oppression and danger, risked their lives—gave their lives, even, to help those who needed help and care: The Mission Silence Of Gods and Men
Closing Prayer
Adapted from Sacred Space 2923, a service of the Irish Jesuits:
Jesus, in this gospel account I see you engaging with vigilant eyes and ears to the cry of the suffering in your world. To them you were the compassionate one, bringing balm to the wounded places in their lives. Lord, the cries of the poor and broken-hearted are evident in the news beamed into my living room daily. Let me not forget that you summon me today, to be your eyes, your ears, and your hands of compassion to all whom I meet.