First reading Hosea 10:1-3,7-8,12
Seek integrity and reap a harvest of kindness
Israel was a luxuriant vine
yielding plenty of fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built;
the richer his land became,
the richer he made the sacred stones.
Their heart is a divided heart;
very well, they must pay for it:
the Lord is going to break their altars down
and destroy their sacred stones.
Then they will say,
‘We have no king
because we have not feared the Lord.’
But what can a king do for us?
Samaria has had her day.
Her king is like a straw drifting on the water.
The idolatrous high places shall be destroyed –
that sin of Israel;
thorn and thistle will grow on their altars.
Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!’
and to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’
Sow integrity for yourselves,
reap a harvest of kindness,
break up your fallow ground:
it is time to go seeking the Lord
until he comes to rain salvation on you.
Responsorial Psalm 104(105):2-7
Constantly seek the face of the Lord.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Gospel Matthew 10:1-7
‘Go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’
Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon who is 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 Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the one who was to betray him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows:
‘Do not turn your steps to pagan territory, and do not enter any Samaritan town; go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
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Jesus calls us to Him and sends us to others
Jesus summoned his twelve disciples to be with Him and to go out and proclaim the good news. These disciples were not perfect and often did not understand what Jesus was saying and even bickered about being the best in the group. We wonder if Jesus could have chosen better disciples to follow Him. These people, though not perfect, were the ones whom Jesus chose and trusted.
As baptised Christians, we are not meant to be passive recipients but active collaborators in Jesus’ mission. We are called to work alongside Him to proclaim the good news that God is near to us and that He loves us. In the time of prayer, let us listen to Jesus as He personally calls us by our name to follow Him as His disciples, despite our weaknesses and faults. Jesus is the first who commits Himself to us. Thus, we also need to keep on choosing Jesus and committing ourselves to follow His ways faithfully each day.
Question for reflection:
What is my greatest challenge in responding to Jesus’ call to be His disciple?
What is my greatest challenge in responding to Jesus’ call to be His disciple?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
