Sunday Readings in Brief – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Exodus 19:2–6; Psalm 100 (99); Romans 5:6–11; Matthew 9:36–10:8
Consecrated for a Purpose
Dear friends, today we celebrate the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time. After concluding the Easter season, we once again enter the Ordinary Time, a season dedicated to learning more deeply about the Kingdom of God and Christian discipleship. This season is the longest in the Church’s liturgical calendar for a reason. While Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter commemorate specific moments in the history of salvation, Ordinary Time helps us understand how those mysteries should shape our daily lives.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls upon His disciples to pray for more labourers to work in the harvest, for “the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” The harvest field symbolizes the people of Israel, who were eagerly awaiting the Messiah promised by the prophets. Yet they were burdened and neglected by many of their own religious leaders. Jesus describes them as “sheep without a shepherd,” distressed, scattered, and vulnerable. Today also we have many prophets, but not all are authentic. Some are business people capitalizing on the religious gaps in the society.
In the first reading from Exodus, God appoints Moses to shepherd His people through the wilderness. Moses serves as an intermediary between God and the people. Through him, God promises to make Israel “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” consecrated and set apart for a special purpose among all nations.
Through Baptism, we too have been consecrated and share in Christ’s threefold mission as priests, prophets, and kings. However, among the baptized, God also calls and anoints some individuals to serve as shepherds and ministers of His people. The consecrated ministers of the Church share a role similar to that of Moses: to guide God’s people and to serve as channels of communication between God and humanity.
Being an intermediary does not mean exercising power over others or controlling access to God. Rather, it means interceding on behalf of the people and serving as a bridge between them and the Lord. On the one hand, religious leaders are called to bring the needs, prayers, and struggles of the people before God. On the other hand, they are called to communicate God’s grace, blessings, and compassion to His people.
They must never become gatekeepers who decide who deserves God’s love and who does not based on human standards. Nor should they exploit the faithful through instilling fear through threats, curses, while demanding money and favours. Catholic priests are called “Father” because they reflect God’s fatherhood toward His people. Their mission is to make visible God’s loving care, mercy, and protection.
As Christians who share a common consecration through Baptism, we are called to be a united community whose way of life becomes a witness to the world. Unfortunately, what we often see today is unhealthy competition among Christian communities and many contradictions between what Christians profess and how they live. Such inconsistencies leave non-Christians questioning what it truly means to follow Christ.
Just as Christ reconciled us to God, we are called to become agents of reconciliation in our families, communities, and society. A Christian home should be a refuge for those wounded by the hardships of life. Every Christian individual and community should be a source of comfort for the suffering, a voice for the oppressed, and a defender of human dignity.
People should feel challenged to abandon injustice when they encounter authentic Christian witness. Christian values should be evident wherever we are—at home, in the workplace, on public transport, in the classroom, or on the streets. As Jesus teaches: “Your light must shine before others, so that seeing your good works, they may glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16). If people feel comfortable committing evil in our presence, perhaps our light as Christians has grown dim.
As followers of Christ, we must raise our voices against evil and injustice in society. We should be the first to respond when our neighbours are in distress. We should have the courage to expose corruption and wrongdoing. We should lovingly correct those who go astray instead of gossiping about them. We must be willing to stand up for what is right, especially in situations where others remain silent out of fear.
A Christian is not called to be a passive recipient of God’s grace but an active witness and champion of the values of God’s Kingdom as taught and exemplified by Christ. There is no place for indifference in Christian life. We are called always and everywhere to see, judge, and act with love, wisdom, and humility.
Jesus called the Twelve by name and entrusted each of them with a specific mission. Through Baptism, He has likewise called each one of us by name and entrusted us with a role in His saving mission. We have been redeemed from sin and called to be instruments of His love in the world. We have received with charge and so we must give without charge.
Dear friends, let us reflect today on how faithfully we are carrying out the mission entrusted to us through our Baptism. Are we growing in Christian maturity and living according to our consecration? Or do we postpone, avoid, or neglect our responsibilities, allowing situations around us to deteriorate because of our silence or inaction?
May we remain faithful to our calling as God’s chosen people, the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
Blessed Sunday!
Fr. Lawrence Muthee, SVD
