Matthew 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.”
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, the Lord of
heaven and earth. Lord Jesus, I trust in your goodness and tender concern for
my good and the good of every single person on this earth. Lord Jesus, I love
you and wish to cooperate more fully with you. I am such a poor weak
instrument, but I know that you can do anything through those who trust in you.
Petition: Help
me Lord, to know the mysteries of your Sacred Heart and to respond with love.
1. The
Heart of Christ: “His heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus
is our creator and our redeemer. He knows that what we seek is his friendship,
whether we realize it or not. He knows that only he can satisfy our innermost
desires. We need to be moved with compassion at the thought of Jesus’ pain, wounded
by so many souls who refuse to turn to him, our only source of light, life and
happiness. Do I ever consider how Jesus’ heart needs to be consoled because of
the indifference and rejection of so many souls whom he loves infinitely?
2. Pray to the Lord of
the Harvest: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers
are few.” There are so many souls in need of healing and so few to help Our
Lord with building his Kingdom and saving souls. “Pray to the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers to the harvest.” Christ is calling us to help him
in this mission. We cannot be indifferent to the cries of our brothers and
sisters who do not know the truth and who have not experienced God’s awesome
love. We must be convinced that Jesus is the only answer for their yearnings.
Do I pray often to the Lord of the harvest? Do I realize that I am also called
to be a laborer in the Lord’s harvest?
3. Go to
the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel: Jesus sends us out although we feel weak
and helpless. Can we “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive
out demons?” Isn’t there someone else, Lord? No. Christ calls us for the same
reason he called the first apostles, namely because he chooses the weak to show
that he is in charge. “Apart from the vine you can do nothing” (cf. John 15:5).
But united to him, we will bear much fruit. Trust in him especially when we
feel our own weakness and incapability. For, as the apostle St Paul, reminds
us, “There is nothing I cannot do in him who strengthens me” (Philippians
4:13), and “It is when I am weak that I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Conversation
with Christ
Oh Lord Jesus, I want to respond to the longings of your heart. You have
loved us to the point of dying on the cross for us, and we repay you so poorly.
You deserve our grateful, loyal love, but so often we abandon you. I want to
console your Sacred Heart by helping to bring many souls back into your
friendship. I want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem;
however, I do not feel worthy or up to the task of being your apostle. Help me
to cooperate with you. Help me to soothe your longing to heal us and care for
us. Here I am Lord, to do your loving will.
Resolution: I will go before
the Blessed Sacrament today, intensifying my union and friendship with my Risen
Lord, and ask him to send more holy, priestly vocations for his Church.