The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek a reconciliation with people that may require a review of our attitudes and prejudices.
The reading from the Book of Genesis describes the first journey of Joseph’s brothers to Egypt.
* [42:1–38] The first journey of the brothers to Egypt. Its cause is famine, which was also the reason Abraham and Sarah undertook their dangerous journey to Egypt. The brothers bow to Joseph in v. 6, which fulfills Joseph’s dream in 37:5–11. Endowed with wisdom, Joseph begins a process of instruction or “discipline” for his brothers that eventually forces them to recognize the enormity of their sin against him and the family. He controls their experience of the first journey with the result that the second journey in chaps. 43–44 leads to full acknowledgment and reconciliation. (Genesis, CHAPTER 42|USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 33 invites the just to praise God.
* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew proclaims the Mission and Commissioning of the Twelve.
* [10:1] His twelve disciples: although, unlike Mark (Mk 3:13–14) and Luke (Lk 6:12–16), Matthew has no story of Jesus’ choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The earliest New Testament text to speak of it is 1 Cor 15:5. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus’ authority to call all Israel into the kingdom. While Luke (Lk 6:13) and probably Mark (Mk 4:10, 34) distinguish between the Twelve and a larger group also termed disciples, Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve. Authority…every illness: activities the same as those of Jesus; see Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35; 10:8. The Twelve also share in his proclamation of the kingdom (Mt 10:7). But although he teaches (Mt 4:23; 7:28; 9:35), they do not. Their commission to teach comes only after Jesus’ resurrection, after they have been fully instructed by him (Mt 28:20).
* [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.)
Vivian Amu asks “When we encounter those whom we left behind, those who pushed us away, and those whom we no longer recognize, how do we respond?”
In both readings today, we are invited to think about the “lost.” Those whom we lost along the way. Those individuals might include people who have left the church, as well as those within our reach who may feel forgotten or marginalized. They might also include family members whom we pushed away or who pushed us away. How do we respond? How can we step into our roles, whether as caregivers, advocates, leaders, healers, or simply as bearers of kindness, as we are confronted while the kingdom of God unfolds? Our actions and responses matter.
God of mercy and compassion, fuel a fire of purpose within each of us to respond to others in a way that inspires and heals. Amen. (Amu, 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 for Wednesday, July 9 on Matthew 10:1-7 comments that many of these images give us the sense that the devil is a terrifying enemy against whom we are weak and defenseless. But the truth is that every believer is a soldier in this battle.
Never forget that there is an invisible spiritual struggle going on around you. But never let it fill you with fear or anxiety. Jesus has given you the authority to overcome evil and to live in the “glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
“Lord, thank you for equipping me for the spiritual battle!” (Meditation for Wednesday Matthew 10:1-7, n.d.) (Meditation for Wednesday Matthew 10:1-7, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Genesis passage describing a famine in Egypt foretold by Joseph, who was the overseer of the grain supply. His brothers came to Egypt to ask for food and were held in prison for three days before being directed to return with youngest brother Benjamin, who Jacob treated him with great care. Joseph weeps one of three times which is a significant superlative degree in Hebrew. Matthew relates how Jesus chose the twelve to preach to the Jewish people using extraordinary the manifestations of faith by pagans.Friar Jude notes the final redactor of this Gospel was likely a converted Pharisee who avoided using the name of God by choosing the expression”the Kingdom of heaven”. Friar Jude notes that Matthew was a convert Pharisee who rejected a lot of Pharisee dogma.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces theologian Bruce Epperly who sympathizes with Jonah’s reluctance to become a prophet to the Assyrians.
We are all tempted to create a God of our own making, who will uphold the status quo and baptize our values as God’s definitive word. When God challenges our way of life and the religious and cultural values we hold dear, we are tempted to run away in search of a new god—a god of our own making—who will support our privileges and prejudices and lead us into battle against our foes. In contrast to nationalist and parochial images of God, the Book of Jonah portrays a different vision of God: God, the iconoclast; God, the lover of our enemies; and God, who cares for non-humans with the same devotion as God cares for humankind. Constantly doing a new thing, God calls us to be innovative and iconoclastic as we embrace new understandings of God’s vision for humankind and the world…. (Rohr, n.d.)
We implore the guidance of the Spirit in our decisions about relating to friends and family in the Way of Jesus.
References
Amu, V. (n.d.). Daily Reflection July 9, 2025. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-9-2025
Genesis, CHAPTER 42|USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/42
Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?1
Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/when-god-changes-the-rules/
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 9, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=jul9
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