June 14th – 2nd after Pentecost
Readings: Psalm 100 and Matthew 9:35 – 10:8
We are now back in “ordinary time”. We have been through the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost, and now, till Advent, we are in what the church calls “ordinary time” so our readings are back in Matthew’s Gospel. Ordinary time is a good phrase as we are called to live our faith and discover the love of God in ordinary times, though for us “ordinary” is not normal this year.
We will find there are some very difficult sections in Matthew’s Gospel. Today we read that Jesus commanded his disciples to go and heal the sick and raise the dead. Is that what we should do if we only had the faith? We can’t ignore the difficult passages but it is good to start with the sections that are easier to get hold of.
Sometimes we don’t notice how challenging they are; we know Jesus called the 12 disciples, but have you thought how ordinary and varied they were. They weren’t trained in a college; they hadn’t been to the best schools or had special training. There are fishermen and a tax collector; they are from different backgrounds. Jesus doesn’t just call the clergy but all of us to share in his work. And the reason is given first at the end of chapter 9. Jesus saw the crowds, and they are described as harassed and helpless, as f sheep without a shepherd. Our world today has too many who are harassed and helpless, strugglers, anxious, lost people, and Jesus has compassion on them, and asks us to go in his name to bring care, love, hope, healing, to be light, to make a difference.
Today’s psalm begins “O be joyful” – we have reason to be joyful because God is good. Let us share joy with others.
What do you notice from this passage?
