This week’s Gospel message for Sunday, June 18th is from Matthew 9:36—10:8.
[Jesus said,] “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. . .At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd…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…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.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.’”
Reflection
“The final line of today’s Gospel, simple as it is—‘Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give’—should give us confidence and direction for carrying out Jesus’ mission. We, like the first disciples, have received the power to do all the wonders that Jesus did, despite our failings, despite our sinfulness, and despite our unworthiness. We are now directed to pass on that power to others, despite their failings, sinfulness, and unworthiness. This is our mission.” SOURCE: Pastoral Patterns, Summer 2023
DAILY READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Monday 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Matthew 5:38-42
Tuesday 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; Matthew 5:43-48
Wednesday 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Memorial) – “Born an imperial in Lombardy, he rejected the values of his position and family. He joined the Jesuits and offered to serve the sick and dying during the plague in Rome. He, too, caught the plague and died three months later.”
Thursday 2 Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Friday 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30; Matthew 6:19-23
Saturday Isaiah 49:1-6; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66, 80
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (Solemnity) – “This feast is one of the earliest feasts to be celebrated on a particular day. The date of June 24 serves as a reminder that John was six months older than Jesus.” SOURCE: Living with Christ, June 2023