Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal May-June 2023

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
3rd week of the psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of Exodus (Ex 19:2-6a)
In those days, after setting out from Rephidim, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai, where they encamped; Israel encamped in front of the mountain. Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying: “This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob and declare to the Israelites: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine! You shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

God chooses one nation from among all the others, not because it is the best of all, but because, in order to come to earth, he would have had to be born somewhere, belong to a historical period and a culture. However, the reason for choosing Israel is not merely one of practical “necessity”: it is also so that we may learn and understand that between God and humanity there is a history of love, a covenant. God chooses a people, enters into a covenant with them, and subjects them to the most incredible trials - crossing the Red Sea, living in the desert while eating bread that rained down from heaven and drinking water that sprang from a rock, and so on - in order to obtain their complete trust. Israel, therefore, prepares to welcome the Messiah by growing in smallness, not greatness. Unfortunately, it failed to be a good ally; in fact, it did not welcome Jesus as the Messiah and rejected him. This teaches us always to remain humble, we who as the Church are a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation.” God’s power today is greater than in the time of Israel, because the Holy Spirit has been poured into our hearts. How much greater humility we need!

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 5:6-11)
Brothers and sisters, while we were still weak, at the appointed time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person someone might even dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. – The word of the Lord. 

Commentary on the second reading

Paul’s reasoning is very simple: among human beings, one may find someone capable of a great act, willing to die in place of a loved one; even more, there may be someone willing to sacrifice himself for strangers, as was the case, for example, with Salvo D’Acquisto, who during the war asked to be shot in place of ten other people; he had never met any of them before, and so his action was all the more heroic. But dying in place of an evil person, someone who even wanted to harm you and did harm you, someone who injured you - this seems beyond all possibility. Jesus is the only one who did this: he died for us “while we were still sinners.” Therefore, his was not merely a heroic act, but an act of superhuman, inconceivable love, beyond every limit. Let us get used to it: this is God’s love. He loves even his enemies, even those who harm him. He does not love as a response or reaction to our acceptance; he does not love the good and tolerate the bad, but simply loves, because God is love and nothing but love.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 9:36 – 10:8)
At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few! 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, who is 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 Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Jesus sent these twelve after instructing them: “Do not go into pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘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.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The Church needs shepherds, because sheep, no matter how capable and “well equipped” they may be, need someone to guide, protect, and care for them. We human beings did not devise the Church’s organization ourselves: God wanted it this way, and God wanted priests. After asking for prayers that the master of the harvest send laborers, Jesus immediately appoints twelve concrete, specific people: those men, and no others. Without priests, the Church cannot move forward. Certainly, there may be periods without clergy, as happened in various parts of the world in the past, but ordinarily the people of God recognize themselves in their own priest, need him, and implore him. Who gives us the Body of Christ, if not the priest? Who absolves sins in Christ’s name, if not the priest? And the holier our priests are, the holier the parish will be. “The priest will know himself only in heaven,” said the holy Curé of Ars; “if he saw himself as he is here on earth, he would die, not of fright, but of love.” Let us therefore pray not only that the master send laborers into the harvest, but that they act with Christ’s powers, healing the sick and driving out demons, as Jesus has asked and desires.