Today, 14th of December, we celebrate
Saint John of the Cross
Thus says the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel:
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,
no more will you weep;
He will be gracious to you when you cry out,
as soon as he hears he will answer you.
The Lord will give you the bread you need
and the water for which you thirst.
No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
He will give rain for the seed
that you sow in the ground,
And the wheat that the soil produces
will be rich and abundant.
On that day your flock will be given pasture
and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows;
The oxen and the asses that till the ground
will eat silage tossed to them
with shovel and pitchfork.
Upon every high mountain and lofty hill
there will be streams of running water.
On the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall,
The light of the moon will be like that of the sun
and the light of the sun will be seven times greater
like the light of seven days.
On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
R./ Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R./ Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R./ Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R./ Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and he cured every sickness and disease. When he saw the crowds he was moved with pity, for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the workers are only few. Ask the master of the harvest to send workers to gather his harvest."
Then he called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority over the unclean spirits to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.
He said, "Go instead to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.
"Go and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. You received this as a gift, so give it as a gift."
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today’s Gospel passage is a small missionary discourse, with a rich introduction and some practical instructions. The beginning of the narrative connects directly with the text from Isaiah that we have just read—what we might call God’s self-presentation as the Good Shepherd. He is the God who walks with you and does not allow you to lose your way, the compassionate God who cannot bear to see you suffer, the One who is moved by your cry and gives you the food you need. How lightly many Christians speak when they claim they “cannot stand the God of the Old Testament”! Have they ever read Isaiah, Hosea…? Isaiah already gives us, in condensed form, the Gospel framework of mission: Jesus sees Israel as a wandering flock, sheep without a shepherd. He is moved with compassion and seeks to raise up good shepherds—here, the apostles, the missionaries.
The evangelist writes from a later historical moment, near the end of the New Testament period. The synagogue and the Church are already separate communities; that is why Matthew says that Jesus taught in “their” synagogues—those in which there was no longer room for Christians. But the Church, the new and definitive synagogue, continues to carry out the plans of Jesus—the fulfillment of what Isaiah promised. Christ’s missionaries will proclaim the Good News, ease human suffering, and plant the Kingdom, even if only in its earliest form. They, the Church, will face, as Jesus did, an immense task, for “the harvest is great.” According to Lk 10:4, they cannot even stop to greet people along the way—something unthinkable in the Semitic world. It is clear that the Churches of Matthew and Luke feel the pressing urgency of mission; with the expectation of an imminent Second Coming fading, they now understand their mission as universal in scope.
The ones sent out receive a message and a task far greater than themselves: to announce and to show the presence of the Kingdom. They will not be able to raise the dead or heal every illness, but their attitude must always be that of people who bring life and awaken the desire to live.
Matthew’s deeply Jewish mind is clear in the first limitation placed on the mission: for now, only to Israel. He knows the order laid out in Isaiah for the unfolding of salvation: first Israel must be “established,” and then the nations will enjoy its light and glory: “The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be firm; all nations shall stream toward it… He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths” (Is 2:2; cf. Mic 4:1). But Matthew tells this to his Church: she must live as the true messianic people and offer a contagious brightness, capable of attracting all nations and fulfilling their deepest longings—perhaps never expressed—for sharing in God’s gifts.
And we should not forget Jesus’ final instruction to His messengers: gratuitousness. We do not trade in religious goods. St. Paul contrasted his own behavior with that of preachers who worked for pay: “We do not peddle the Word of God” (2 Cor 2:17). Only a free and selfless offer is credible—including, of course, the offer of faith.
Your brother,
Severiano Blanco, CMFGod is compassionate. He cannot let his people suffer. This compassion of God has become visible in the person of Christ.
The Old Testament text, perhaps an elaboration on Isaiah's thoughts by a later author, promises restoration to God's people after their conversion. God will take pity on his people. He promises freedom from evil, sickness, famine, violence, injustice, provided people realize their own poverty and inability to live as they should by their own powers, though God will work these things in people and with people.
In the New Testament, Jesus will go out to encounter us and to help us out. He sends out his Church, even today, to encounter people in their miseries and to alleviate all suffering.
God of mercy and compassion,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have revealed yourself
as a God of people.
Turn our empty hearts to you,
give us eyes to see the depth of our poverty
and our inability to build a better world
with our own resources,
and then come and build it with us
through your Son and our Savior
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Let us pray to the Lord that he may call many to become shepherds willing to continue his work in our Christian communities with zeal and patience.
- That leaders in our communities may be people with a heart, compassionate and patient, we pray:
- That they may proclaim the gospel as good news of joy, justice and love, we pray:
- That they may be living examples of what they preach and teach, so that the message may become credible through them, we pray:
Lord, merciful and loyal God,
at the table of your Son
you dress the wounds of your people
and you fill those who are poor of heart
with the strength of Jesus Christ.
Keep us going, in the certain hope
that with him we can rebuild
what our hands have destroyed
and that he can turn our miseries
into lasting happiness.
This is our prayer
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God of tenderness and love,
you let your Son encounter us
in the inadequacy of our love.
Through him, present among us,
open our hearts and hands
to all ills and all needs,
to forgive, to bless, to uplift
and to be together the people
who live in your love
and who glory in the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus had compassion on the leaderless crowd. May God give us compassionate hearts that care for people in patience and a spirit of service. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
