"Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mt 10:6-7)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Book of Hosea
Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12
Israel is a luxuriant vine
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
Their heart is false,
now they pay for their guilt;
God shall break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
If they would say,
“We have no king”—
Since they do not fear the LORD,
what can the king do for them?
The king of Samaria shall disappear,
like foam upon the waters.
The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars.
Then they shall cry out to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall upon us!”
“Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the fruit of piety;
break up for yourselves a new field,
for it is time to seek the LORD,
till he come and rain down justice upon you.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
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.’”
WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Mt 10:1-7
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Word of God recounts how Jesus called twelve apostles and gave each apostle a name. God especially chose each apostle to play a different role in God's work. The twelve apostles are God's extended arms, going out to save souls, going out to harvest rice to bring back to God. And when they left, the apostles were given His power and strength by God. They had full authority over Satan, to exorcise the demons that were fighting and robbing the souls of God's children.
Because of God's love for humanity, He chose and sent the apostles to continue carrying out the mission of spreading the Gospel of God, calling everyone to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is near. After the twelve apostles were given a special mission by God, He commanded and sent them out: "Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." God knows that the lost sheep of the house of Israel are suffering, being bound by Satan.
He also advised His disciples: "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town." The pagans here are spirits worshipping Satan; they will not listen to God's invitation to abandon the worship of Satan and return to Him. Therefore, God instructed the apostles to complete the work he had given them, reach out to the lost sheep, and help them return to God because they were lost and away from God. Now, He sent the apostles to them, bringing the image of Jesus Christ to death and resurrection. A loving Jesus Christ who came to love, to share, to lead the lost sheep back to God.
Continuing the mission of the apostles, today at the House of God the Father, God also sent twelve stones, the apostles in this era, the age of the Holy Spirit, to go out to find the lost sheep, helping them return to God. God's apostles carried within themselves the love of Jesus Christ to warm the souls of cold lost sheep in need of God's help. Let's go! Go and fulfill the mission God has given you to lead many lost sheep back to the God of love. God always watches over, accompanies, provides for, and protects God's apostles on their journey to preach the Gospel. Therefore, He sent the apostles to go with peace of mind and lead as many souls back to God every day, so that those souls can enjoy happiness with their merciful Father.
Thanks be to God. Amen
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