The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that Jesus' mission to transform the lives of humanity is realized in our acts of compassion and mercy.
The reading from the Prophet Hosea describes Israel’s Sin and Captivity.
* [10:8] Aven: wickedness, first of all at Bethel (v. 5), but also at all the high places. (Hosea, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.
* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). (Psalms, PSALM 105 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew names the Twelve Apostles and declares the Mission of the Twelve.
* [10:2–4] Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15).
* [10:5–6] Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry. (Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
Eileen Wirth comments that the key to improving our behavior with powerless strangers might be to equate justice with respect if we treat the people we customarily see face to face with civility and respect.
I’ve learned (but don’t always remember) that respectfully asking for help is a good way to begin, also saying something pleasant about previous encounters with their employer if possible. . Not only is this the “reasonable” treatment that justice demands, it’s more likely to produce results. It’s amazing how quickly you can form a problem solving relationship with a total stranger if you show the respect that justice demands because many of them seldom get this. I know because when I’m handling such an interaction well, they thank me. (Wirth, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus empowers his disciples to act in his name,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
" If the Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified, how then did the disciples cast out the unclean spirits? They did this by his own command, by the Son's authority.2 Note the careful timing of their mission. They were not sent out at the beginning of their walk with him. They were not sent out until they had sufficiently benefited by following him daily. It was only after they had seen the dead raised, the sea rebuked, devils expelled, the legs of a paralytic brought to life, sins remitted, lepers cleansed, and had received a sufficient proof of his power both by deeds and words - only then did he send them out. And he did not send them out unprepared to do dangerous deeds, for as yet there was no danger in Palestine. They had only to stand against verbal abuse. However, Jesus still warned them of larger perils to come, preparing them for what was future." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 32.3) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 comments that instead of condemning his people, though, God called them through the prophet Hosea to seek him and to break up the field of their hardened hearts (10:12). That call still resonates today, whether our lives are just a bit out of focus or we need a bigger course correction. So let’s adopt Hosea’s metaphor.
No matter how it looks for you, take that next step to seek the Lord. Keep plowing that field! God promised that if you do, he will send his rain of justice on you to bless you and bring forth life (Hosea 10:12).
“Lord, thank you for calling me closer to yourself. Inspire me today as I seek you.” (Meditation on Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler recalls the problem addressed by Hosea that the people of Israel offered fruit to the page god of fertility, Baal, and forgot Yahweh, the God of their desert experience. The listing of Judas, the one who betrayed HIm, indicates that Jesus did not choose him by mistake. Friar Jude reminds us that the converted Pharisee, who likely edited Matthew’s Gospel, referred to the “Kingdom of Heaven” as more respectful to Yahweh than the “Kingdom Of God”.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that mature transformation involves Showing Up. Showing up means bringing our hearts and minds into the actual suffering and problems of the world. It means engagement, social presence, and sincere concern for justice and peace—and others beyond ourselves. It means having the courage to enter the fray of life and even being willing to make big mistakes or appear foolish. Showing up is the full and final result of cleaning up, growing up, and waking up. It’s God’s fully transformed “work of art” (see Ephesians 2:10, Jerusalem Bible). If we do not have a lot of people showing up in the suffering trenches of the world, it’s probably because those of us in the world of religion have allowed them to stop with merely cleaning up, growing up, or waking up. Contemplative activist Alison McCrary recounts a recent experience of “showing up” for justice.
I don’t think any amount of data will ever change hearts and minds, but it’s the stories, it’s the prayer, it’s conversation, it’s dialogue. We saw that back in 2018. I led our statewide campaign to end non-unanimous juries. Louisiana was the only state in the country where a person could get life without parole with a non-unanimous jury. In most states, you have to have 12 of 12 jurors say, “this person is guilty,” and here, when Black people were allowed to serve on jury, they said, “Well, we only need 10 of 12 votes to convict someone.” And this was to keep [in place] … the plantation prison culture that happens here—where people are paid two cents an hour to work on agriculture farms in our prisons. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the Spirit to revive our sense of justice and to move us to act with kindness and compassion in the struggle to make life more full for everyone.
References
Hosea, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/10?1
Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?1
Meditation on Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/10/1020032/
Psalms, PSALM 105 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/105?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Showing Up to Serve. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/showing-up-to-serve/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Gives His Disciples Authority to Heal and Set Free. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul10
Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved July 10, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/071024.html
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