11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
36 At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 37 “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
10:1 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.
2 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; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him.
5 Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Mt 9:36 – 10:8).
I – God Loved Us First!
No one escapes this reality of daily life: the more we shape our environment according to our taste, the greater is our appreciation of it.
We purchase a house, for example, because it suits our needs, and we would only buy one that we liked. But it is particularly after doing our utmost to beautify it according to our preferences that we begin to give it special value. A home means even more to us if we have lived there for a long time; if we have seen our family grow within its walls, it holds a lifetime of memories.
Something similar occurs in God’s relationship with humanity, as St. Paul points out in the second reading (Rom 5:6-11) of this Sunday’s Liturgy.
God loved us even when we were at enmity with Him
In this passage from the Letter to the Romans, the Apostle seeks to stimulate confidence in divine goodness with irrefutable reasoning:
“Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. […] Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by His life” (5:7-8, 10).
Having inherited the legacy of original sin and its consequences, we are, before Baptism, mere creatures of God, in a state of enmity with Him. And this situation is aggravated by actual sin, which amounts to a voluntary turning one’s back on the Creator and a disordered attachment to creatures.
Despite this, “He loved us first” (1 Jn 4:19), and He took it upon Himself to send His Son to redeem humanity. We are cleansed from original sin and reconciled to Him through the waters of Baptism, which raises us to the condition of children of God – participants in His nature, brothers of Jesus Christ and co-heirs of Heaven, by the merits of His Incarnation, Passion and Death.
St. John Chrysostom comments: “Truly, for us who lived in such great wickedness to be saved, was a very great mark of our being exceedingly loved by Him who saved us. For it was not by Angels or Archangels, but by His Only-begotten Son Himself, that He saved us.”1
Since God loved us in spite of our wickedness, He will love us all the more after we are pardoned and have entirely recovered His friendship, just as a homeowner is fond of the house that has been arranged and decorated according to his taste.
We will see how much more convincing this marvellous principle is when illustrated by the teaching of Our Lord contained in this Gospel.
II – The Need for Shepherds
36a At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.
A simple leafing through the Gospel is all it takes to notice the extent to which sheep tending is used to symbolize the relationship between God and humanity. In Gospel times, society was largely linked to the land.
Throughout His preaching, Jesus made countless didactical references to shepherding, even presenting Himself as the Good Shepherd, in order to reach His listeners.
In the verse cited, He touches on the plight of sheep without a shepherd. And in fact, without a shepherd, sheep soon wander from their normal course and meet with trouble. But a shepherd guides the flock to verdant pastures where they can peacefully graze under his vigilant eye.
This image reflects a much more painful reality concerning the salvation of souls. Without a competent spiritual guide capable of discerning the needs of the souls confided to him, and of adapting instruction and progress to the individual’s spiritual situation, people lose their way, and, drawn by bad tendencies, stray from the right path into that of sin as they go in search of the illusory happiness of earthly goods.
This lack of guidance produces weariness and discouragement. Often, an understanding look and a word of encouragement from a fervent shepherd would be enough to bring them back to the practice of virtue.
In fact, in the salvation of souls, the counsel of someone with experience is a valuable aid. It is a classic principle of the interior life that the devil’s greatest fear in tempting a person is that he will seek the guidance of a superior or a confessor. When this happens, the diabolical wiles are unmasked and rendered harmless, for evil gains ground only to the extent that it manages to disguise its ultimate intentions.
With His divine knowledge, and from all eternity, Jesus saw the impoverished state of the multitudes that followed Him. But when He finally witnessed that dire situation of spiritual penury, as Man, He “was moved with pity for them,” that is, He had compassion, He suffered with them; He made their suffering His own.
Lamentably, the notion of compassion has become distorted today, being almost exclusively applied to material needs. These, of course, must be met, to facilitate the person’s openness to the action of grace.
It was Christian civilization that introduced works of charity in human society. Hospitals and many institutions in benefit of the poor and homeless emerged from the maternal concern of the Church.
But without neglecting the material dimension, it is even more important to provide doctrinal formation and spiritual consolation, for the soul is, by nature, more noble, elevated, and important than the body. Nothing equals the joy that stems from a balanced and tranquil conscience. When this is not clean and transparent, a person does not feel happy, even though possessing all earthly goods.
It is precisely this supernatural happiness, sought in vain by the crowds, that Jesus desires to offer them. They were troubled and abandoned because they lacked someone to give them proper orientation concerning the coming of the Messiah, which Scripture indicated was imminent.
To complicate matters, there were false guides who, “being shepherds, acted the part of wolves. For far from amending the multitude, they even hindered their progress.”2
Such an orphanhood is not restricted to those times. If the Word became incarnate today, undoubtedly His attitude would be the same, or perhaps His compassion would be even greater, considering the world’s state of confusion and error. Deprived of a sufficient number of genuine pastors, the public at large has become deaf to God’s voice, mute to speak the truth to others, and ultimately unaware of the salvation that the Church offers.
Thus, just as Jesus took it upon Himself to go into villages during His earthly life, curing everyone along the way and rejecting no one, today He also goes in search of the forsaken multitude and is always ready to receive the sinner. It is enough for the latter to have sincere repentance and the desire to amend his life.
The time has come for us to have pity on the flock, and to remember the obligation of all the baptized to evangelize their neighbour.
He is Almighty, but desires our cooperation
36b Then He said to His disciples, 37 “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest.”
It is important to emphasize that, as God, Jesus Christ could have directly accomplished that which He urges the Apostles to request of the “Master of the harvest.” For this, a simple act of His will would have sufficed – “I desire that all be led along the path of holiness!” – thus dispensing with our prayers.
But, no! By a mysterious design, He placed the possibility of collaborating in the work of the salvation of souls within our reach. How? By praying!
Moreover, He is capable of providing for the demands of the harvest, and of granting everyone the opportunity of converting by means of an efficacious grace – such as the one St. Paul received on his way to Damascus – thus doing away with the role of labourers for the harvest. Nevertheless, He decided that the Gospel message would be transmitted by human instruments, by the action of His disciples.
If we look deeply into the question, we see that man was created with the instinct of sociability in order to facilitate the apostolate. We have the desire and the need to relate with others; people depend on others for their own happiness.
Accordingly, interaction, good example, and good counsel play an important role in the sanctification, progress, and perseverance of all those on the way to eternal happiness.
This calls for an examination of conscience! In our relationships, are we concerned with our neighbour, and dedicated to his spiritual progress? Are we fervent in prayer? In light of the desire that the Saviour expresses in this verse, it behoves us to raise our voices, beseeching the “Master of the harvest,” the Master of public opinion and of the whole earth, for many shepherds so that the holy people of the New Testament may increase.
Evil vanquished by fragile instruments
10:1 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.
We should take into account that evil, in those times, was manifested especially by visible diabolical possession, with sensational signs, while today, perhaps the devil possesses a greater number of people, but in a surreptitious and veiled manner.
Our Lord’s calling the Twelve to give them authority over unclean spirits and the power to cure diseases means that He conferred on them the gift of restraining evil and spreading goodness. Thus, Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, even before being crucified, demolished the dominion of darkness and vanquished the devil.
To humiliate the latter, instead of operating directly, he acted through human creatures, of themselves powerless to fight against satan.
A record of the Church’s beginnings
2 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; 3 Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4 Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him.
St. Matthew’s care in registering the names of the Twelve Apostles in his Gospel responded to the need for making these foundations of the Church known to future centuries at a time of rapid expansion of the Faith, in which the transmission of doctrine to a wide variety of peoples was carried out almost exclusively orally, which could have given rise to future doubts or imprecisions.
Out of humility, St. Matthew includes his name after that of St. Thomas, unlike the other Evangelists (cf. Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15), including reference to his former occupation of “tax collector,” to make reparation for his past life. And he mentions Simon Peter first to highlight his role as head of the nascent Church, representative of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth, bearer of infallibility – he who, to guide the Mystical Body of Christ with complete fidelity, must count on the powers of Heaven!
Precautions for an inexperienced apostle
5 Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
The Apostles were still not fully formed when they were sent on their first mission, and could easily have fallen prey to the bad influence of dangerous circles such as those of the Gentiles or the Samaritans, who were generally focused on the enjoyment of earthly pleasures.
Only after the Resurrection would Jesus tell them: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19); and only with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, would they be ready to undertake the mission of preaching to the pagans.
This is a lesson for us, for if the Saviour applied such prudence in preserving the Apostles, we must also take care, in interacting with those whom we evangelize, not to let ourselves be drawn by that which is contrary to Our Lord.
Caution should be taken while we lack adequate formation; after having been instructed and fortified, we can set out for the bold and always vigilant conquest.
On the other hand, it was necessary for the disciples to carry out apostolate with the “lost sheep” of the Chosen People, both due to the fact that salvation had been preferentially offered them, as well as to correct the erroneous nationalist conception that led them to judge every Jew as good and every foreigner as bad, as a rabbinic document attests: “Even the best of the goyim should be killed.”3 It was necessary for them to personally feel the rejection of the Messiah’s message as they came up against the snares of the Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, and even many of the people, to gain first-hand experience of their malice.
This salutary clash would heighten their awareness of the change of mentality that they had undergone in their intimate relationship with the Divine Teacher.
Attesting to the veracity of the Gospel with works
7 “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
The main mission entrusted to the Apostles was that of transmitting the Good News: the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
It was normal for a man of God to prove the veracity of his words by extraordinary phenomena. And it was stated in the Sacred Books that when the Messiah came, the lame would walk, the blind see, the mute speak and the deaf would hear (cf. Is 35:5-6).
Thus, in order to provide convincing testimony that He was truly the Messiah, Jesus orders the Apostles to perform many miracles.
“Lest peasants untaught and illiterate, without the graces of speech, should obtain credit with none when they announced the Kingdom of Heaven, He gives them power […], that the greatness of the miracles might prove the greatness of their promises.”4
But, as they received this gift “without cost,” they were to likewise act in benefit of their neighbour, fulfilling a role similar to that of Our Lord among them. In other words, He charges them to benefit others unconditionally.
III – The Kingdom Proclaimed in the Twenty-First Century
In considering the powers that Jesus bestowed on the Twelve, as well as to countless righteous men at the outset of the expansion of Christianity, it is fitting to question why such marvels are not as frequent today. St. Gregory, at the end of the sixth century, supplies the answer:
“These signs were necessary in the beginning of the Church; the faith of the believers needed to be fed with miracles, that it might grow […]. The Holy Church daily does spiritually what it then did materially by the Apostles.”5
This important teaching of the holy Doctor should be borne in mind. Through the Sacraments, the Church accomplishes even greater wonders in benefit of the crowds who suffer spiritual infirmities: it cleanses the leprous soul of the filth of sin, resurrects the dead to the life of grace, liberates those under the dominion of the devil, and restores the light of faith to the blinded soul.
A mission to endure across the centuries
The Gospel for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time has special beauty; it is an invitation for each one of us. The mission conferred on the Apostles of preaching the imminent coming of the Kingdom of Heaven will only come to a close at the end of time, when history is concluded.
It is the mission of the Holy Church, of its consecrated ministers, and all the baptized as well; it is the redemptive action of Our Lord Jesus Christ which endures throughout the centuries. It is our obligation to evangelize by word, by example, by prayer or by suffering, with the goal of transforming society.
We must proclaim the necessity of turning away from sin, of undergoing a change of mentality and of continually seeking holiness, and we must strive to see this come about as soon as possible and on the greatest scale possible. For God, we should desire not only the best, but everything, now and forever!
Let us remember that the Kingdom of God begins here on earth, for we are in possession of a seed that will blossom into glory in eternity, when we will participate in God’s own happiness.
Each person has a fixed life span. Will it be twenty, fifty, or a hundred years? Only God knows. But what is that compared with eternity? Absolutely nothing! Therefore, the conquest of the Kingdom of Heaven, begun on this earth, must be the first and greatest goal of our existence. ◊
Notes
1 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. In Epistolam ad Romanos, hom. IX, n.3: MG 60, 471.
2 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. Homilia XXXII, n.2. In: Obras, vol. I: Homilías sobre el Evangelio de San Mateo (1-45). (Ed. 2). Madrid: BAC, 2007, p.637-638.
3 KIDDUSHIN. Y 66cd. In: BONSIRVEN, SJ, Joseph (Ed.). Textes rabbiniques des deux premiers siècles chrétiens. Roma: Pontificio Instituto Biblico, 1955, p.419.
4 ST. JEROME. Commentarius in Evangelium Matthæi, L.I (1,1-10,42), c.10, n.23. In: Obras Completas, vol. II: Comentario a Mateo y otros escritos. Madrid: BAC, 2002, p.109.
5 ST. GREGORY THE GREAT. Homiliæ in Evangelia. L.II, hom.9, n.4. In: Obras. Madrid: BAC, 1958, p.679.