Reading 1
Hos 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."
Gospel
Mt 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.'"
Meditation: Matthew 10:1-7
Meditation: Matthew 10:1-7
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… and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. (Matthew 10:4)
Whenever Scripture gives a list of the apostles, Judas Iscariot is placed at the end, along with the note about his act of treachery. Imagine being known for all time as the one traitorous apostle!
What could have possibly gone wrong? After all, Judas was among those who went out and performed mighty works at Jesus’ command. He had seen and heard everything that the other disciples saw and heard. Plus, he was not the only apostle who sinned. They all fled in the garden, and we all know about Peter’s infamous threefold denial.
So why did Peter go on to lead the entire church while Judas hanged himself? Part of the answer comes in the way Peter responded to his sin compared to the way Judas did. When Peter saw what he had done, he broke down and wept tears of repentance. And as he prayed for mercy, he came to sense God’s mercy. He saw that there still was hope for him. In contrast, when Judas realized that he had betrayed an innocent man, he couldn’t get past the guilt. He couldn’t believe that God would ever forgive him. He fell prey to the lies that the devil whispered to him and so fell into despair.
The lesson for us couldn’t be clearer. We are all sinners. We have all betrayed the Lord at various times in our lives. But the secret is to be able to admit our sin when the Holy Spirit shines his light on it and to seek God’s forgiveness in repentance. Once we confess, we are forgiven, no matter how great the sin we have committed. In fact, there is nothing in all of creation that is so big or so horrible that it can separate us from God’s unconditional love and his outlandish mercy. There is no need for lingering guilt or shame—and certainly no need to despair. God knows our weakness, and he loves us anyway. That’s just how awesome he is!
“Father, I am amazed at your love. Though I am weak and sinful, you are merciful and kind. Holy Spirit, shine your light into any areas where I need your mercy today. Let godly sorrow bring me life today, so that I may get on with being your disciple.”
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