SATURDAY, FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT
Memorial of Saint Ambrose
Is 30: 19-21, 23-26 Ps 147: 1-6 Mt 9: 35, 10: 1, 5-8
TO WORK OR ONLY TO RECEIVE?
Today we reflect on the passage from Chapters 9 and 10 of Matthew’s gospel. Chapter 10 is the second of the five discourses presented in his gospel, which is also called the missionary discourse. Two key verses in this passage – Is 9:37, where Jesus says to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” and Is 10:1, which reads, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” – highlight the message of today, i.e., discipleship.
To understand what Jesus is leading us to, we must set the context for the above. In the first discourse in Matthew’s gospel, the famous “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus singled out his disciples from the huge crowd. “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” (Mt 5:1-2) These imperfect men from various walks of life responded to Jesus’ call to follow Him. The Lord trained them by his teaching and by the example of his life. As He let Himself be moved with compassion by the helplessness of the “sheep without a shepherd,” so also, he endeavoured to mould their hearts accordingly that they may be worthy messengers of His gospel and successors to His mission.
The call to discipleship is a major theme in the gospel of Matthew, urging us constantly to ask ourselves: Are we one of the disciples, or are we content to remain amidst the crowd? Do we offer ourselves unconditionally in the Lord’s service, or do we limit our relationship with Him to receiving graces and healings? Let us, then, implore the Lord of the harvest to bless us with the grace to labour diligently in His vineyard. May we find solace in the words of the prophet Isaiah, who, amidst trials and tribulations, offered hope in the coming of the Messiah, Emmanuel – God with us.
Response: Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.
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