Wednesday 8th July 2020. Read Hosea 10:1-12, Psalm 105:2-7, Matthew
10:1-7.
“Then
Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean
spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” (Matthew
10:1)
In
today’s Gospel passage, we see Jesus commissioning the twelve by giving them
authority over unclean spirits, diseases and infirmity. Jesus did not simply
call labourers, He made sure they were properly empowered for the mission
ahead. A labourer without energy or zeal is like a hungry farmer in a very
fertile land; he has the seeds but cannot dig and plant. He needs to eat food
in other to produce food for others.
As
we pray for an increase of vocations, let us also pray for an increase of power
and grace in those already called by God into ministry. Like the proverbial
shoemaker who was always busy mending shoes for people that he forgot to mend
his own shoe and suffered from a wound which made him terribly sick and
subsequently ended his career, priests and religious are often victims of their
peculiar circumstances. They need our prayers, encouragement and support.
It
is instructive to note that in mentioning the names of the twelve, Matthew
deliberately puts Judas Iscariot last and adds the phrase “who betrayed him.”
What kind of labourer am I? A Judas or a Peter? Am I a James or a John so eager
for positions? Or am I Andrew who quietly works in the background? Am I Thomas,
Philip or Thaddeus? Or am I Matthew a former tax collector?
You
see, none of these labourers was perfect. So long as you are empowered, you too
can labour for God. The authority (power) is more important than the person. A
traffic controller can stop a truck far heavier than himself
because the authority was given to him by the State. However, if the traffic controller
decides to sit under a tree playing draft with friends during rush hours, his
power is useless.
In
today’s first reading, we hear the vibrant words of Hosea again warning the
people of the sin of idolatry. This was a time of great material prosperity
among the people and they assumed these gods were responsible for their
success. As Hosea says, failure to repent would lead to great suffering and
starvation in the end.
Let
us Pray: Lord Jesus, strengthen the labourers you call into your harvest. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary
Time. Bible Study: Hosea 10:1-12, Psalm 105:2-7, Matthew 10:1-7).
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