Reading 1
Is 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Responsorial PsalmR. (see Isaiah 30:18d)
Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
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,
“Go 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.”
Meditation: Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5-8
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)
For thousands of years, faithful Jews awaited the fulfillment of God’s promises. They longed for the day Isaiah had spoken of, when they would weep no more and when God would hear their every prayer. They looked forward to the time when God would sustain them with his bread of salvation and with his water of life, the day when he himself would teach and guide them and heal their every wound. They knew that God had chosen them to usher in this new age, and so they waited for the time to be fulfilled.
Finally, Jesus came proclaiming good news: The kingdom has come! Everywhere he went, he backed up his words with signs and wonders. He healed ailing bodies and restored broken hearts. He delivered people from the strangleholds of sin and the harassment of unclean spirits. He showed them how much God loved them and how deeply he was “moved with pity” over their need (Matthew 9:36).
Still, some people had a hard time understanding what Jesus was doing. Victims of political and economic oppression, many were looking for political freedom and an earthly way. They had a hard time seeing the spiritual kingdom in their midst because so many of their outer circumstances remained unchanged. You can imagine how disappointing it must have been when Jesus showed no interest in overthrowing the current leadership and ridding Palestine of the Romans!
Of course, God wants us to work to overcome all injustice in the world. He wants to make us agents of his peace and reconciliation. But he wants all the work we do in this realm to flow out of our life in his kingdom. He wants us to become his ambassadors, messengers telling the people of this world that there is another way to live—a better way to live.
Today, let the promise of God’s kingdom fill you with hope. And let that promise send you out into the world to make a difference!
“Jesus, I believe that your kingdom has come. I want to experience its blessings today. Heal me, feed me, and let your light shine into the dim corners of my heart. Lord, I want to live for you!”
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