Lectionary: 385
Reading 1
Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
Israel is a luxuriant vine
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
Their heart is false,
now they pay for their guilt;
God shall break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
If they would say,
“We have no king”—
Since they do not fear the LORD,
what can the king do for them?
The king of Samaria shall disappear,
like foam upon the waters.
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars.
Then they shall cry out to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall upon us!”
“Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the fruit of piety;
break up for yourselves a new field,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
till he come and rain down justice upon you.”
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (4b) Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Seek always the face of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
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.’”
REFLECTION
SOURCE: One Bread One Body
THEME: FEEDER SYSTEM
"The reign of God is at hand!" –Matthew 10:7
In today's Gospel, Jesus chose twelve new men, His apostles (Mt 10:2-4). He commissioned them, and us, to be new Josephs, to be absorbed in distributing the Word of the Lord in times of famine and in times of plenty. The children of the New Covenant are to be distributors of food like the Old Testament patriarch Joseph, who fed the whole world (see Gn 42:6).
From this point on in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus will be teaching and feeding His apostles. After building them up, He will send them out to feed His people with His Word (Jn 21:15-17). The apostles then feed others, who in turn grow strong enough to feed still others. God intends that this feeder system perpetuate itself so His Word continues to spread (see Acts 6:7).
We are to be the Master's good stewards, occupied with distributing physical and spiritual food (Mt 24:45). Like the apostles, we have been fed by the Master on a steady diet of Word and Eucharist. Thus built up, we are able to feed His sheep (Jn 21:17) and keep them alive and thriving in times of famine (Ps 33:19).
Amos prophesied that there would be a famine not for food, but for hearing the Word of the Lord (Am 8:11). Therefore, distribute God's Word, teaching in-season and out-of-season (2 Tm 4:2).
PRAYER: "May Your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in You" (Ps 33:22).
PROMISE: "Break up for yourselves a new field, for it is time to seek the Lord." –Hos 10:12
PRAISE: The 120 Chinese Martyrs, who included men, women, and children, priests, religious, and lay people, showed the depth of their faith by giving everything, including their lives, to Jesus.
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