We Are the Crowd
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Matthew 9:36-10:8 - 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, “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. 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 from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
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.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
When the Scriptures were written, their writers didn’t include chapters or verses or titles to divide each new section. All of those things were added later. Instead, some of these writers gave other signals or cues to their listener or reader that they were ending one section and beginning a new one. Matthew does that right before our Gospel passage today. He wraps up one section and he begins a new one. Today’s Gospel passage from chapters 9 and 10 concludes a section Matthew began back in chapter 4. In Matthew 4:23 he introduces this section of his Gospel by giving a little summary of what is about to take place in Jesus’ ministry, saying, “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.” Then later (in the verse right before today’s Gospel passage) in Matthew 9:35, Matthew closes this section by giving a little summary of what has just taken place in Jesus’ ministry – and the words are basically the same: “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.”
But then something extraordinary happens. Directly after showing just what Jesus’ ministry looks like, Matthew begins a new section. And immediately he introduces to us the Apostles and what their ministry looks like. He says that Jesus, “summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.” And then Jesus tells them, “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Do these lines sound familiar? They should. It’s now the third time we’ve heard them in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus gives His own authority to the Apostles to do just what He has been doing, to teach and to heal. And why does He give this to them? To reach the crowds who are in need. Well we are those crowds in need today. And the Apostles’ successors, the bishops, together with their priests, are our ministers. They are the ones Jesus have given authority to, to bring us what we need, the teachings and healings of Jesus Christ.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above.(Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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