06 July 2011, Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 385

Reading 1
Responsorial Psalm
Gospel
July 6, 2011

Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week
in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Gn 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a

When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt
and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread,
Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph
and do whatever he told them.
When the famine had spread throughout the land,
Joseph opened all the cities that had grain
and rationed it to the Egyptians,
since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt.
In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain,
for famine had gripped the whole world.

The sons of Israel were among those
who came to procure rations.

It was Joseph, as governor of the country,
who dispensed the rations to all the people.
When Joseph’s brothers came and knelt down before him
with their faces to the ground,
he recognized them as soon as he saw them.
But Joseph concealed his own identity from them
and spoke sternly to them.

With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.

On the third day Joseph said to his brothers:
“Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
If you have been honest,
only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison,
while the rest of you may go
and take home provisions for your starving families.
But you must come back to me with your youngest brother.
Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die.”
To this they agreed.
To one another, however, they said:
“Alas, we are being punished because of our brother.
We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us,
yet we paid no heed;
that is why this anguish has now come upon us.”
Reuben broke in,
“Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy?
But you would not listen!
Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”
The brothers did not know, of course,
that Joseph understood what they said,
since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
But turning away from them, he wept.

33:2-3, 10-11, 18-19
Responsorial PsalmR. (22)

Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in 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

“Do not go into pagan territory.” (Matthew 10:5)

It shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus told his apostles to go on their first preaching assignment only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6). Although Jesus came for all humankind, he held a deep love for Israel—for his own people—because they were God’s chosen ones. He knew that every event in Israel’s history led up to his coming, and he wanted to fulfill all God’s promises to them.

But Jesus likely had another reason for restricting the apostles to their own people at first. What better way to learn the basics of evangelization than to start with their brothers and sisters in faith? They had grown up with the same rituals and traditions, so they knew where to start. It was probably a good thing that they didn’t have to deal right away with the complexities of pagan religions and philosophies. They could concentrate on the basics of getting out the gospel.

The apostles had to start somewhere, and so do we. And the best place to begin is at our own doorstep, within our families and communities—with the people we already know. As Paul reminds us, God wants us to do good to everyone—“ especially to those who belong to the family of the faith” (Galatians 6:10). The mission to those in our midst is just as important as missionary work thousands of miles away. And in some ways, it’s even more important. If we don’t bring the gospel into our homes, who will? If our neighbor doesn’t discover Christ in us, where will he or she find him?

In a sense, it’s easier to talk to strangers about the gospel because your family and friends know you well enough to see your own shortcomings. But don’t let that discourage you. You may not have the most persuasive words. You may not give the most consistent witness, either. But you don’t need to be perfect. You just have to show yourself as a fellow traveler who has found a much better road map to follow. And that’s something anyone can do. So today, look for the openings the Spirit will give, and simply share what’s in your heart.

“Jesus, help me to see the opportunities for evangelization that are right in front of me. Give me the grace I need to share your love with those closest to me.”