Called to Respond with Love

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to consider the encounters with the Divine on our journey and our response to the experience.

Respond with Love

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah presents The Sending of Isaiah.

* [6:1] In the year King Uzziah died: probably 742 B.C., although the chronology of this period is disputed. A high and lofty throne: within the holy of holies of the Jerusalem Temple stood two cherubim, or winged sphinxes, whose outstretched wings served as the divine throne (1 Kgs 6:23–28; Ez 1:4–28; 10:1, 20). The ark of the covenant was God’s footstool (Ps 132:7–8; 1 Chr 28:2), placed under the cherubim (1 Kgs 8:6–7). Temple: the holy place, just in front of the holy of holies.

* [6:2] Seraphim: the plural of saraph (“to burn”), a term used to designate the “fiery” serpents of the wilderness (Nm 21:8; Dt 8:15), and to refer to “winged” serpents (Is 14:29; 30:6). Here, however, it is used adjectivally of the cherubim, who are not serpent-like, as seen in the fact that they have faces and sexual parts (“feet”). See the adaptation of these figures by Ezekiel (Ez 1:10–12; 10:4–15).

* [6:3] Holy, holy, holy: these words have been used in Christian liturgy from the earliest times.

* [6:4] Smoke: reminiscent of the clouds which indicated God’s presence at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16–19; Dt 4:11) and which filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34–38) and the Temple (1 Kgs 8:10–11) at their dedication.

* [6:5] Doomed: there are two roots from which the verb here could be derived; one means “to perish, be doomed,” the other “to become silent,” and given Isaiah’s delight in puns and double entendre, he probably intended to sound both notes. “I am doomed!” is suggested by the popular belief that to see God would lead to one’s death; cf. Gn 32:31; Ex 33:20; Jgs 13:22. “I am struck silent!” is suggested by the emphasis on the lips in vv. 5–6, and such silence is attested elsewhere as the appropriate response to the vision of the Lord in the Temple (Hb 2:20).

* [6:7] Touched your lips: Isaiah is thus symbolically purified of sin in preparation for his mission as God’s prophet. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 93 is a hymn celebrating the kingship of God,

* [Psalm 93] A hymn celebrating the kingship of God, who created the world (Ps 93:1–2) by defeating the sea (Ps 93:3–4). In the ancient myth that is alluded to here, Sea completely covered the land, making it impossible for the human community to live. Sea, or Flood, roars in anger against God, who is personified in the storm. God’s utterances or decrees are given authority by the victory over Sea (Ps 93:5).

* [93:1] The LORD is king: lit., “the LORD reigns.” This Psalm, and Ps 47; 96–99, are sometimes called enthronement Psalms. They may have been used in a special liturgy during which God’s ascent to the throne was ritually reenacted. They have also been interpreted eschatologically, pointing to the coming of God as king at the end-time.

* [93:3] The flood: the primordial sea was tamed by God in the act of creation. It is a figure of chaos and rebellion, cf. Ps 46:4. (Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus inspires us to have Courage Under Persecution.

* [10:25] Beelzebul: see Mt 9:34 for the charge linking Jesus with “the prince of demons,” who is named Beelzebul in Mt 12:24. The meaning of the name is uncertain; possibly, “lord of the house.”

* [10:26] The concealed and secret coming of the kingdom is to be proclaimed by them, and no fear must be allowed to deter them from that proclamation.

* [10:32–33] In the Q parallel (Lk 12:8–9), the Son of Man will acknowledge those who have acknowledged Jesus, and those who deny him will be denied (by the Son of Man) before the angels of God at the judgment. Here Jesus and the Son of Man are identified, and the acknowledgment or denial will be before his heavenly Father. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

David Crawford recalls friends, a retired missionary couple, Neville and Emma, who had served close to half a century as Baptist missionaries in West Africa.

 

David recalls them saying how, when they were called to missionary work in French-speaking colonies in West Africa in the late 1940s, Neville explained to God (in prayer) and the missionary board (in person) all the reasons why the missionary board must be mistaken.

Surely an English-speaking locale with familiar foods and pleasant climate was where they should go. Finally, accepting (as Jesus tells us in Matthew 10) that he was the disciple who should not place himself above the teacher, Neville and Emma blessed others, and were blessed abundantly themselves, by years of service and ministry in Africa.

I am inspired by the artists, like Dan Schutte and Donald Jackson. I am inspired by the examples of Joyce, Neville and Emma. I am inspired by Isaiah.

Loving God, inspire me – inspire us – not just to be thrilled by Your words and the examples of others, but to be stirred to action as we heed Your call. (Crawford, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Do not bewail death - but sin,” by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD).

"The gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because there is always a dimension of life in the soul that can never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to something else, and it has it own proper life. Consider the order of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the soul. As the life that is the soul is present with the body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God) ought to be with the soul that it may not die."

"How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a contemptible, object. There are in it still its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house; its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no one there within it to hear... Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it... This then we can know and hold for certain: the body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God. Every one without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief." (excerpt from SERMON 65.5-7) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Isaiah’s inaugural vision of the prophecy of heaven is a moment of encountering the angels and responding “Woe is me… I am doomed” Two reactions are usual of people in an encounter with the Divine, to draw closer, or a fear that they are insignificant sinners. God cleans the lips of the Prophet Chosen, for His own reason, even if we don't understand. Jesus speaks to the disciples about sending them and the persecution where they can kill the body and not the soul. Jesus evokes images of the Temple dump as a good image of hell. He exhorts us to be afraid of those who can cast us into hell. Friar Jude reminds us that as God protects sparrows He certainly will protect us.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8 comments that this passage is one of many examples in Scripture of the way that an encounter with the Lord always brings about a response. And how could it not? As Isaiah discovered, holiness and sinfulness go together about as well as oil and water. A reaction is inevitable!

You immediately know you are a man or woman of “unclean lips,” but you also know that through Christ your sin can be washed away (Isaiah 6:5). So you cry out to the Lord, confessing how much you need his mercy—and he cleanses you! Now, freed from your guilt and sin, you are ready to do whatever he asks of you. Washed in the blood of his Son, you are eager to share the good news of redemption with everyone.

When he calls out, “Whom shall I send?” (Isaiah 6:8), all eyes settle on you. How will you respond?

“Here I am, Lord! Send me!” (Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Franciscan sister Patricia Jordan who invites us to contemplate the Beatitudes as a way to transform our hearts.

The beauty portrayed in the Beatitudes is a yardstick for you to measure the areas of brokenness that are still operative within your heart. Perhaps you may wish to reflect on each one separately in order to see how the Beatitudes address your false symbols of security, power and self-esteem that the false self struggles to satisfy.

Our starting point is the heart. Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God. What an astonishing promise! The purity Jesus speaks of in this Beatitude presupposes a heart where affections, intellect and will are integrated in a love that is a participation in the life of God himself. (Rohr, n.d.)

We implore the Spirit to reveal the opportunities we have today to activate our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader supported by our trust in God.

References

Crawford, D. (2026, July 11). Daily Reflection July 11, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-11-2026 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/6? 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10? 

Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/11/1612123/ 

of Hippo, A., & Schwager, D. (n.d.). Fear Him Who Can Destroy Soul and Body in Hell. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Psalms, PSALM 93 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/93?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Beatitudes: Week One: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Persecution and Promise

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the possibility that tuning to accept the Christian Life will place us in opposition to many of the positions of world politics and power.

Housing as a Promise for Life

The Reading from the Prophet Hosea proclaims Sincere Conversion and New Life.

* [14:1] Samaria: the capital of the Northern Kingdom will fall; this is the punishment predicted for Ephraim, the Northern Kingdom.

* [14:4] These good intentions promise a reversal of Israel’s sins: no more reliance on “Assyria,” i.e., on foreign alliances (see notes on 8:9 and 12:2), on “horses,” i.e., on human power (10:13), and on idolatry (8:4–6; 13:2). Israel will trust in the Lord alone.

* [14:9] Verdant cypress tree: the symbol of lasting life, the opposite of the sacred trees of the Baal cult (4:13). The Lord provides the “fruit” (peri) to Israel (2:7, 10), another instance of the wordplay on Ephraim (see notes on 9:16 and 13:15).

* [14:10] A challenge to the reader in the style of the wisdom literature. (Hosea, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 51 prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought.

* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]). (Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns His followers of Coming Persecutions.

* [10:17] The persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission now begin to be spoken of. Here Matthew brings into the discourse sayings found in Mk 13 which deals with events preceding the parousia.

* [10:21] See Mi 7:6 which is cited in Mt 10:35, 36.

* [10:22] To the end: the original meaning was probably “until the parousia.” But it is not likely that Matthew expected no missionary disciples to suffer death before then, since he envisages the martyrdom of other Christians (Mt 10:21). For him, the end is probably that of the individual’s life (see Mt 10:28).

* [10:23] Before the Son of Man comes: since the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age had not taken place when this gospel was written, much less during the mission of the Twelve during Jesus’ ministry, Matthew cannot have meant the coming to refer to the parousia. It is difficult to know what he understood it to be: perhaps the “proleptic parousia” of Mt 28:16–20, or the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, viewed as a coming of Jesus in judgment on unbelieving Israel. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Michele Bogard reminds us that our work as followers of Christ is always ongoing and incomplete. She shares the prayer below with students who are unsatisfied with their efforts not taking off immediately. 

A Prayer of Oscar Romero by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders;
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own. (Bogard, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes The Spirit of your heavenly Father speaks through you in every age, by Augustine of Hippo.

"To be sure, we heard in that reading, 'But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious how or what you are to speak... for it is not you who are speaking but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.' And he says in another place: 'Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20). Does this mean that the people who heard those words of the Lord would be here until the end of the world? The Lord was referring, rather, not only to those about to depart from this life but also to the others, including us and those who would come after us in this life. He saw everyone in his single body, and the words he spoke, 'I am with you even to the end of the world,' were heard by them and by us too. And if we did not hear them then in our knowledge, we heard them in his foreknowledge. Therefore, safe as sheep among the wolves, let us keep the commandments of him who directs us. And let us be 'innocent as doves but cautious as snakes' (Matthew 10:16). Innocent as doves that we may not harm anyone; cautious as snakes that we may be careful of letting anyone harm us." (excerpt from the Sermon 44a.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Hosea uses an image of turning away from God as a description for sin. He urges people to turn again to God to be able to accept God when they recognize their sin. Jesus' message in the Gospel of Matthew is to Trust in God depend upon God for everything. Jesus sends the apostle to proclaim the Gospel. They will be rejected and Matthew writing in 80 CE is witness to persecutions that have occurred in the community even by family and in one town after the other. Friar Jude comments on whether Jesus expected the world to end very soon. Only the Father knows the time of the “parousia”. It is difficult to know what Matthew understood it to be, perhaps the “proleptic parousia”. We pay a price for living a Christian life opposed and rejected by some.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:16-23 comments that In today’s Gospel, as He prepares to send His disciples out to proclaim the good news, He tells them, “I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” (Matthew 10:16). That’s a lot of similes! So let’s look at each of them to understand Jesus’ words a little better.

Trusting as sheep. Shrewd as serpents. Simple as doves. These are the qualities that make for effective missionary disciples. They don’t all come naturally, but they do come as we practice them. They come as we step out in faith and try our best to share our faith in the Lord. So don’t give up! Jesus has called you to proclaim his gospel; and if he has called you, he will empower you!

“Lord, teach me how to share your great good news!” (Meditation on Matthew 10:16-23, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Debie Thomas who reflects on the many ways the Beatitudes have been understood and what she believes the Beatitudes are not.

The Beatitudes are not sentiments.

They are meant to startle us awake… Yes, they are pastoral, and yes, they give us hope. But Christian hope is not a sedative. Christian hope gets us up and out the door.

The Beatitudes are not to-do items. 

They are not suggestions, instructions, commandments, or quid pro quos… There is nothing transactional about them, nothing that smacks of a “should,” a “must,” or an “ought.”

The Beatitudes are not shame tactics.

The takeaway Jesus intends for his listeners is neither shame nor self-condemnation. The last thing Jesus’s Beatitudes should do is defeat us.

The Beatitudes are not permission slips for passivity.

There is nothing in the Beatitudes that excuses injustice, nothing that relativizes abuse, nothing that frees us to tell suffering people that their suffering is God-ordained and redemptive.

Jesus acts. He doesn’t simply speak blessing; he lives it. Through his words, his hands, his feet, his life, he brings about the very blessings he promises. Insisting that pain in and of itself is neither holy nor redemptive in the Christian story, Jesus works to bring healing, abundance, liberation, and joy to everyone who crosses his path.

This is the vocation we are called to. The work of sharing the blessings we enjoy is not the work of a distant someday. It is the work we’re called to now. The Beatitudes remind us that blessing and justice are inextricably linked. If it's a blessing we want, then it’s justice we must pursue. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to strengthen our resolve to be disciples of Christ as we turn to the mission of bringing the Life of Christ to our daily interactions with the community.

References

Bogard, M. (2026, July 10). Daily Reflection July 10, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-10-2026 

Hosea, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/14?2 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?16 

Meditation on Matthew 10:16-23. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/10/1611592/ 

Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). What the Beatitudes Are Not. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/what-the-beatitudes-are-not/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Sheep in the Midst of Wolves - Wise and Innocent. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 10, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/