What Is a Yoke?

A yoke is a wooden frame fitted on working animals to evenly balance the load on each individual animal and allow them to work as a team. Jesus wears the yoke and we are yoked to him.

A teacher read to her class the text, “My yoke is easy.”

“Who can tell me what a yoke is?” she asked.

A boy said, “A yoke is something they put on the necks of animals.”

Then the teacher asked, “What is the yoke God puts on us?”

A little girl said, “It is God putting His arms around our necks.”

Jesus’s yoke helps us to lay-down unnecessary burdens; to illustrate:

Dr. George McCauslin was a very effective YMCA director. But some years ago, he was selected to serve at a particularly challenging YMCA in western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. And that western Pennsylvania YMCA was losing membership, had financial difficulties and a multitude of staff problems, so George McCauslin found himself working 85 hours a week. He found himself getting little sleep at night. He took little to no time off. And when he was not working, he was worrying and fretting about the problems at his job.

He went to a therapist who told him he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He realized that he had to learn somehow to let go and let God into his problems. He didn’t know quite how to do that.

So George McCauslin took an afternoon off, took a pad and paper, and took a long, unhurried walk in the western Pennsylvania woods. As he walked through the cool woods, he could eventually start to feel his tight body and his tight neck start to relax. He kept walking, and eventually sat down under a tree and just sighed and breathed deeply. For the first time in months he felt relaxed.

He got out his pad and paper, and he decided that although he would keep his job, he would release his mental “over-control” in trying to manage every detail. He wrote God a letter. He said, "Dear God, today I hereby resign as general manager of the universe. Love, George."

Then, with a twinkle in his eye, George McCauslin said, "And wonder of wonders, God accepted my resignation."

George McCauslin stopped his obsessive work habits. One lesson George teaches us is that if our religion is primarily about obsessively or fearfully meeting religious duties and other obligations, then it is indeed a hard yoke and heavy burden.

Jesus wanted to free us from the burdensome religious and legal interpretations of the scribes and Pharisees, and our own.

It is an act not of juggling balls on a stage, but of carrying eggs from a barn.

Make no mistake: it is sometimes the act of carrying a cross. But it is "light" in the sense when our purpose and priorities in life are clear.

Regarding George’s case, sometimes, among devout or practicing religious people, there can be a resistance to self-care because of fear of putting “self” at the center, as in self-centeredness. They would make the argument that we’re not the priority: the people we serve are. Yet, this concern may reflect an individualistic understanding of “self” shaped by the dominant culture.

Self-care is not self-absorption or isolation, and self-care emphasizes the importance of relationships and community in the way we do self-care. The purpose of self-care is to put vitality back into one’s ministry and vocation over time.

Like a woman who said that she used to obsess over her daughter’s mental illness, believing that the right combination of labels would lead to her daughter’s healing. The daughter now is hopefully receiving treatment, and the mother is hopefully leaving the labels or diagnosis to doctors so she can just concentrate in loving her daughter as a labor of love. The difficulty is when we take up the labor before love. When we get it right, the work of love is hardly work at all.

What other “yokes” need to be broken today besides workaholism , and over-functioning by care-givers?

2.The greatest yoke is the oppression and slavery of sin. It’s like “you used to hold the Yoke but now the Yoke holds you.”

I am speaking of those who are tired and weighed down with the burden of self, those who want to be rid of the load but can’t. It’s a tiredness of spirit. It’s a call to those who are trapped in the prison of self by sin but know no way out. It’s okay to be absolutely powerless over self. This is where we join the human race. There is the help of grace that comes through powerlessness, because we are yoked to Jesus who is our highest power.

Notice that, like George McCauslin, we first must come to the admission of powerlessness over our afflictions and powerlessness over our defects.

E.g. Our Second Reading speaks of being freed from being “debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” The word in Greek is “sarx” which means the whole fleshy existence of persons, including all the human passions and emotions, which can range from greed, prestige to jealousy, and any kind of temptation such as the list given in Galatians 5:19.

In that verse, St. Paul is telling of his response to God from his sin-enslaved “I” who cried for deliverance, and God’s intervention. Such a cry is the point where self-honesty begins to grow, e.g. in our Opening Prayer, we hear through the humiliated God, who was an “abasement,” a fallen world was raised up.

So too with us, it is only by the humility of heart to make an admission of powerlessness over what afflicts us and then receiving victory through the grace of God, will we feel yoked to Jesus as our higher power.

It is only by the Spirit, not raw willpower, that the deeds of the body are put to death or quieted. Galatians 5:22 is very enlightening: among the gifts of the spirit is love, generosity, self-control.

It is true that spiritual warfare is part of our daily Catholic faith simply because fighting temptation and striving for virtue are themselves forms of spiritual warfare.

Thankfully, God promises in Ezekiel 34:27, “I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.” The enemy is constantly trying to force his own yoke upon us—a yoke of slavery and bondage of sin.

In the Aramaic tradition, "yoke" and "lordship" were seen to be synonymous ideas.

Jesus’ yoke helps us hold our tongue or choose encouraging words, to be giving to a person in material need, keeping holy the Sabbath by the Sunday Mass obligation. An easy yoke means we are not afflicted by an onslaught of greed, envy, greed, etc.; it’s the joy of a quiet conscience.

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 2, 2023

To be a disciple is to identify with Jesus

Matthew 10:37–42

Jesus said to his Apostles: 37 Whoever prefers father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever prefers 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.
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.

Music Meditations

• “Whatsoever You Do” (sung by Robert Kochis) [YouTube]
• “Jesus” (by Chris Tomlin) [YouTube]
• “Be Thou My Vision” (John Rutter; sung by Cambridge Singers) [YouTube]
• “I Have Loved You” (by Michael Joncas) [YouTube]
• “Come to the Water” (by John Foley; sung by Matt Maher) [YouTube]
• “We Remember” (by Marty Haugen) [YouTube]

Opening Prayer

Lord, being disciple is demanding and fulfilling. Help me to receive your word graciously and openly, to give freely and receive fully, when needed. I ask for the humility to listen, to hear, to notice, and to respond to those requests of me as disciple.

Companions for the Journey

Adapted from a commentary in 2014 by Alice McDermott:

We all like to be rewarded for our efforts. Gold stars on our school papers as children. Praise from parents and teachers as we get older. Money as payment for our expenditure of our time and talents in our work. Perhaps being recognized publicly with a plaque or round of applause for our community service. We all appreciate recognition and benefits from our actions.

Jesus is promising a reward for those who welcome prophets and righteous persons to the community, and for those who offer small kindnesses to the vulnerable in their midst. That reward is participation in the kingdom of God, which has both a present and a future component.

This text comes after Jesus’ promise that those who lose their life for his sake will find it (Mt. 10:39). It’s an answer to the question, “What is our reward for risking the loss of our lives as we know them for you?” Or, as Simon Peter so pragmatically puts it, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” His question and Jesus’ answer show up three times in almost exactly the same wording in Matthew 19:27, Mark 10:28, and Luke 18:28. In Matthew 10:42, Jesus refers to “the reward of the righteous.” It appears to be a bountiful compensation for the sacrifices we have made in this life, one that has both a worldly and eternal life component (Mt. 19:29; Mk. 10:29-30; Lk. 18:29-30).

What are those addressed by this text going to be rewarded for? Since Jesus sends his disciples to act on his behalf, those who receive them also receive Jesus (10:40a). And in receiving Jesus they also receive God, the one who sent him. Underlying this saying is the shaliach conception of ancient Jewish law, according to which a man’s duly authorized messenger “is as the man himself.” (Hare, Interpretation Commentary on Matthew, 118) The one sent out represents the one who sent him, so that to receive a disciple of Christ is to receive Christ and to receive Christ is to receive God. (Argyle, Cambridge Commentary on Matthew, 83-4)

Participation in the kingdom of God is the reward of the righteous person. It is not wholly extrinsic like the gold stars and the round of applause. The righteousness Jesus is talking about in Matthew carries with it an intrinsic reward, one that is an integral part of the action of welcome and kindness. Such righteous acts participate in and point us toward God, toward the Kingdom which is now and not yet.

Those who receive the disciples also receive the same benefits or reward they receive, the blessing of participation in the kingdom of God as outlined by Jesus by way of Matthew in the Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-10). The Beatitudes have a future, but also a present reference. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake—all participate in the present in the blessings of divine presence, comfort, wisdom, forgiveness, which are the realities of the reign of God now and forever.

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

• Have I ever been in relationship that was so all-consuming that I lost myself in the process?
• To what/whom am I attached so firmly that it interferes with my relationship God or with others in my life?
  Has there been an attachment to a person, a habit, a conviction or a principle that has estranged me from others or my own self?
• Jesus does not advocate armed conflict, but divisions might occur when people are forced to decide between the words of Jesus and the words of those we love. When could there be a conflict between our love for another and our love for God?
  Are there times, however, when I alienate people I love by rendering an opinion that is unjust or too harsh?
  Have I ever assumed I was saying something for someone’s else’s good, but it was really for my personal satisfaction that I spoke?
  How do I discern between my opinion/prejudices and God’s?
• Have I ever received opposition for my beliefs from someone I loved?
  What did I do?
  Have I ever suffered the rupture of a relationship because of my relationship with Jesus?
• Do I truly see myself as a disciple of Jesus?
  What is the cost to me for being a disciple?
• What is the difference between adherence to a moralistic law or system of rules and the interior freedom that comes for knowing God’s sill and doing it?
• Am I ever motivated in my actions by the hope of a later reward or is my motivation rooted in a desire to be closer to Jesus right now?
• What, exactly, is my relationship with God, with my fellow disciples, with the desperate?
• What is my role of “welcoming others” that I see in this reading?
• Do I think of being disciple as a large dramatic gesture/choice, or can I look at my small efforts to help others and myself as discipleship?
  When did I last buy a poor person a cup of coffee?
• Do I expect happiness, or at least a cessation of anxiety or unhappiness as a result of doing God’s will?
• What does it mean, in the lives of us ordinary saints, to “lose one’s life”?
  What does it mean, in the lives of us ordinary saints, to “save one’s life”?

Meditations

A Meditation in the Dominican Style/Asking Questions:

Participation in the Kingdom of God is the reward of the person who is a true disciple. What follows are some quotes from thinkers who seem to have taken seriously the message of Jesus in this passage. They are talking about giving one’s life away for some purpose beyond oneself that, paradoxically, results in a gain. As Christians we would call that the reward of the righteous. Which of the following do you agree with? Do any surprise you? Examine your motivations for doing God’s will and making sacrifices in the process:

• “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it”—John Ruskin
• “Happiness is a virtue, not its reward”—Baruch Spinoza
• “If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed”—Albert Einstein
• “Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved. It leaves all the other secondary effects to take care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward”—Thomas Merton

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:

We are rarely asked for a cup of water. We live in a more complex society, but the same care and generosity to which Jesus calls us in verse 42 to are found in all walks of life. There are those who work for clean healthy water in a thousand hidden ways, for instance maintaining a city water system, or caring for public hygiene, as civil servants, plumbers, activists, engineers, scientists, and street cleaners.

Wherever people devote themselves to the service of others by caring for the environment, by creating safe and good schools, by working toward affordable healthcare and affordable housing for everyone somehow, by making our governmental systems, local and national, ensure safety for all, we are, in effect, giving someone who needs it a drink of water.

So verse 42 is a metaphor for doing things for others in the name of Jesus. And the rewards promised by Jesus are entrance into the Kingdom of God. Our first job, then, is to be aware of the opportunities and desperate needs that are out there. But we need to go further. Undeterred by the sheer enormity of the task, we must start somewhere. Do I look for the grand gestures instead of offering a simple “cup of water”? How does giving someone a cup of water play out in practical terms: is it a hug, or a listening ear, or giving someone a ride, or giving a small donation to an agency like CRS? Do I believe that each act of mercy, no matter how insignificant, can make a difference that really matters? Mother Teresa said that we are not called to do great things, we are called to do small things with great love. We need to go beyond studying the issues to actually help in in some small way to alleviate the thirst for water, for food, for justice, for safety. What can I do? What can I do this week?

Poetic Reflection:

We turn to a tried-and-true reflection written by Thomas Centollela, a former Stegner fellow. He encourages us to do even more than the minimum of giving a cup of water to “one of these little ones.” How can you live “further in?”:

“At Big Rec”

A few hours spent in the dry rooms of the dying.
Then the walk home, and the sudden rain
comes hard, and you want it coming hard,
you want it hitting you in the forehead
like anointment, blessing all the days
that otherwise would be dismissed
as business as usual. Now you’re ready
to lean on the rail above the empty diamonds
where, in summer, the ballplayers wait patiently
for one true moment more alive than all the rest.
Now you’re ready for the ancient religion of dogs,
that unleashed romp through the wildness, responding
To no one’s liturgy but the field’s and the rain’s.
You’ve come this far, but you need to live further in.
You need to slip into the blind man for a while,
tap along with his cane past the market stalls
and take in, as if they were abandoned,
the little blue crabs which within an hour will be eaten.
You have to become large enough to accommodate
all the small lives that otherwise would be forgotten.
You have to raise yourself to the power of ten.
Love more, require less, love without regard
For form. You have to live further in.

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.

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. 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

 Matthew 10

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

Matthew 13

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

Matthew 18

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

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.

c. [10:6] 15:24.

d. [10:7] 3:2; 4:17.

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.

j. [10:16] Lk 10:3.

k. [10:17–22] Mk 13:9–13; Lk 21:12–19.

l. [10:17] Acts 5:40.

m. [10:19] Ex 4:11–12; Jer 1:6–10; Lk 12:11–12.

n. [10:21–22] 24:9, 13.

o. [10:24–25] Lk 6:40; Jn 13:16; 15:20.

p. [10:26–33] Lk 12:2–9.

q. [10:26] Mk 4:22; Lk 8:17; 1 Tm 5:25.

r. [10:28] Jas 4:12.

s. [10:33] Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26; 2 Tm 2:12; Rev 3:5.

t. [10:34–35] Lk 12:51–53.

u. [10:37–39] 16:24–25; Lk 14:26–27.

v. [10:39] Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24; Jn 12:25.

w. [10:40] Lk 10:16; Jn 12:44; 13:20.

x. [10:42] 25:40; Mk 9:41.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 25, 2023

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.