Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10, 1-7
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
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.’”
God chooses
1. He gave them authority. You have authority under the presence of God. But you must understand that authority does not mean bossing other people around. It actually means the power and strength of your word through the example you give. That is to say that what you say has power because you say it and because you set an example with your life. That’s in fact, something really difficult to achieve, but that’s why Jesus gives us Christians the grace of giving our word and keeping it, which is part of our service to others. As a child of God, every day you must make the effort to be a good person and not complicate anyone’s life, to give the best of yourself and to fight to overcome your weaknesses. That is authority.
2. Their names. The Gospel gives us the names of those Jesus chooses, because when God calls someone, He calls them in a personal, unique and distinct way. That’s why Christians are not members of a club; we are convinced believers. Are you convinced that God has called you for something? What for? I don’t have the answer, don’t look for it in my words. You have the answer inside you.
3. Lost sheep. Jesus sends them to proclaim his Kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to those who were supposedly religious. Jesus sends his apostles to re-evangelize. Today, you and I have to take Jesus to those who have already received their First Communion, but still do not know Jesus. We must go to those who have received their Confirmation but have not experienced a true encounter with Christ. We must reach out to those who’ve received the Sacrament of Marriage but were more concerned about the party than the sacrament, because they were not very clear about what it meant. We must bring Jesus to those who’ve received the sacrament of the Holy Orders but have become lukewarm and sad. Today, you and I must have Jesus in us to take him to others.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
