GOSPEL: Matthew 9:36-10:8
At that time:
When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them,
because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest
to send out labourers into his harvest.’
And he called to him his twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out,
and to heal every disease and every affliction.
The names of the twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother;
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles
and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.
You received without paying; give without pay.’
PROMPTS FOR FAITH-SHARING
We are all called to be both members of Jesus’s flock and, in ways appropriate to our state in life, shepherds of the flock. Which of these calls feels more natural to you? How could the other be an invitation to grow?
Do you feel that you share in the disciples’ mission as described in the gospel? How do you (or how could you) help in healing and comforting those who are sick?
When you are moved with pity for another, how do you respond? How could your responses be more like Jesus’s response—immediate and loving?