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.'”
The call is to heal
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. The influence of Christianity is not confined to the Vatican, parish priests, vicars, or decrees from bishops. 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. The true power that Christ gives you is to heal, to cure and to soothe. We’re called to make the lives of those around us a little better, because to be proclaimers and evangelizers is to be witnesses and to be in love with Christ. Knowing that you are chosen by God means that you are willing to help the lives of others with God and from God.
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. You have a name and that name has a meaning, because you’re not something, you’re someone and you’re invited to live life with your personality and your way of being. Life itself is marked by circumstances, and these contribute to make you who you are today. Your life story shapes your identity, and God calls you just as you are.
3. Lost sheep. One of the things I always think about is that we Catholics like to fish in the fishbowl. We set up new groups and new activities but for the same people; many of us even form closed groups and don’t allow others in. The key is to go out, because we’re called to evangelize, not to institutionalize, to announce not to set up groups, to promote life rather than to establish norms, and to show that with Christ, life is to be enjoyed rather than to be coerced. 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.
