From Cults to Care

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the motivation of our life as Christians in the context of how open we are to connection to communities outside our Church and Culture.

Care for Community

The Reading from the Prophet Hosea presents Destruction of Idolatrous Cultic Objects.

* [10:3] No king: the instability of the monarchy (7:3–7) and its vassalage to foreign kings (7:8–16) render the monarchy ineffective. The kings do the opposite of what they are supposed to do (10:4).

* [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 invites Israel to praise and seek the presence of God.

* [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). In every phase of the national story—the ancestors in the land of Canaan (Ps 105:12–15), Joseph in Egypt (Ps 105:16–22), Israel in Egypt (Ps 105:23–38), Israel in the desert on the way to Canaan (Ps 105:39–45)—God remained faithful, reiterating the promise of the land to successive servants. (Psalms, PSALM 105 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus proclaims the Mission of the Twelve and their Commissioning. 

* [10:1–11:1] After an introductory narrative (Mt 10:1–4), the second of the discourses of the gospel. It deals with the mission now to be undertaken by the disciples (Mt 10:5–15), but the perspective broadens and includes the missionary activity of the church between the time of the resurrection and the parousia.

* [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 comments that we have all been “lost sheep” at some point—wandering through seasons of doubt, loneliness, or numbness, carrying more questions than answers, wondering if anyone even notices our absence. But the call of Jesus is gentle and steady, “Come back home…..and as you come home, invite others.” 

 

Hosea chapter 10 reminds us that in order to do the outward work that Jesus is asking us to do, we need to start with an inward check. We need to check our “luxuriant vines”—our hearts. We do not need to have it all figured out to respond to this call. The apostles didn’t either. They went out tired, flawed, and unsure at times, but what mattered was their “yes.” The same is true for us. God is asking for availability. God is asking us to show up—imperfect, busy, tired—because it is God’s strength and love that makes the difference. God’s kingdom is breaking into the world through everyday people willing to reflect God’s love in simple, tangible ways. So, let us start where we are—being open, being kind. Let God use us, and as we step out, even in small ways, we will find that God’s kingdom is often closer than we think—it is already at work, through us.

 

Lord, keep our eyes and hearts open to find those who are lost, and remind us that You are always near. Amen. (Amu, 2026)

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.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Hosea was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom before it was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE.. Hosea asserts that their worship of other gods brought on the invasion. Their shrines are sometimes referred both to Baal and Yahweh, often called by the title “Adonai” or Lord. This may have caused confusion with social justice and reform to the treatment of the poor. The twelve Apostles are commissioned in the Gospel of Matthew. Friar comments that the final editor of Matthew’s Gospel was likely a converted Pharisee and used the phrase “The Kingdom of Heaven” to avoid the name of God when the time of Love and Law are fully lived.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 10:1-7 comments that the disciples did as Jesus had commanded them. They preached the gospel. They cured the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. People’s lives were changed, and the kingdom began to spread.

Don’t ever think you’re insignificant. Every one of us is a part of God’s plan! So seek to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading today. Just by doing what the Lord asks of you, even the smallest thing, you are bringing the kingdom closer.

“Lord, let your heavenly kingdom reign in me and through me today!” (Meditation on Matthew 10:1-7, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, explains why the third beatitude would have been simultaneously shocking and comforting to Jesus’s listeners. Author Micha Boyett considers how Jesus’s listeners would have understood the paradox of the meek “inheriting the land”:  

“Makarioi [Greek for “happy”] are the powerless ones,” Jesus says. “They shall have the earth as an inheritance.” They will recognize that the earth has always been theirs. He is getting at something essential to the spiritual life: our ownership is temporal. According to the psalmist, human beings are like the leaves of grass, here for a moment and then, poof, gone. We’re all stewards here, and the land remains long after we’ve become the dust we came from. Only the divine one possesses it. In God’s dream for the world, possession is an illusion. When we humble ourselves, when we release our hands from all that we have tried to control and cling to, we discover that those who possess the land are the ones living under the illusion. But the ones who release their power and the ones who never had power to begin with inherit the really real…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We continue to need the help of the Spirit to focus on the mission we have been anointed by our Baptism to be priest, prophet, and leader in the journey to the “Kingdom of Heaven” that Jesus intends us to begin here and now for all people.

References

Amu, V. (2026, July 8). Daily Reflection July 8, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-8-2026 

Hosea, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hosea/10?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10? 

Meditation on Matthew 10:1-7. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/08/1610528/ 

Psalms, PSALM 105 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/105? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Land for the Humble. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 8, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/land-for-the-humble/ 

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 8, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Genealogy of Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary invite us to ponder the plan of God to be Incarnate through the “yes” of Mary that is recognized in a genealogy of faithful.

Hope and Surrender

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans declares God’s Indomitable Love in Christ

* [8:28] We know that all things work for good for those who love God: a few ancient authorities have God as the subject of the verb, and some translators render: “We know that God makes everything work for good for those who love God….”

* [8:29] Image: while man and woman were originally created in God’s image (Gn 1:26–27), it is through baptism into Christ, the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), that we are renewed according to the image of the Creator (Col 3:10). (Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Prophet Micah makes reference to Isaiah’s Emmanuel oracle.

* [5:2] These words are sometimes understood as a reference to Isaiah’s Emmanuel oracle, given some thirty years earlier (Is 7:14). The Gospel of Matthew reports that the chief priests and scribes cite this passage as the ancient promise of a messiah in the line of David to be born in Bethlehem (Mt 2:5–6).

* [5:4] Peace: he will not only symbolize but also bring about harmony and wholeness.

* [5:5] Nimrod: the legendary ancestor of the Mesopotamians; cf. Gn 10:10–12. (Micah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 13 is a lament of a psalmist who feels forgotten by God.

* [Psalm 13] A typical lament, in which the psalmist feels forgotten by God (Ps 13:2–3)—note the force of the repetition of “How long.” The references to enemies may suggest some have wished evil on the psalmist. The heartfelt prayer (Ps 13:4–5) passes on a statement of trust (Ps 13:6a), intended to reinforce the prayer, and a vow to thank God when deliverance has come (Ps 13:6b). (Micah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims the Genealogy and the Birth of Jesus.

* [1:1–2:23] The infancy narrative forms the prologue of the gospel. Consisting of a genealogy and five stories, it presents the coming of Jesus as the climax of Israel’s history, and the events of his conception, birth, and early childhood as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The genealogy is probably traditional material that Matthew edited. In its first two sections (Mt 1:2–11) it was drawn from Ru 4:18–22; 1 Chr 1–3. Except for Jechoniah, Shealtiel, and Zerubbabel, none of the names in the third section (Mt 1:12–16) is found in any Old Testament genealogy. While the genealogy shows the continuity of God’s providential plan from Abraham on, discontinuity is also present. The women Tamar (Mt 1:3), Rahab and Ruth (Mt 1:5), and the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba (Mt 1:6), bore their sons through unions that were in varying degrees strange and unexpected. These “irregularities” culminate in the supreme “irregularity” of the Messiah’s birth of a virgin mother; the age of fulfillment is inaugurated by a creative act of God. (Matthew, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly comments that Psalm 13 is a prayer to the Lord that she often prays because she knows the need to trust even more.

Mercy is the act of showing compassion and forgiveness to those in distress or suffering, even if they do not deserve it. I know how it feels to receive God’s kindness and love, trusting that mercy is always there for me even though I do not deserve it. But if it ends there, I can still get trapped in guilt for all my sins. Fortunately, salvation is much more than that. It is not just about trust and hope in deliverance from my sins, it is about a transformation of who I am and future glorification. Salvation is not just about the forgiveness of my sins that seem so ongoing, it is about deliverance from the power of sin and evil over me. It is not about just being let off the hook, it is about being justified through faith. With God’s salvation, our sins are not just forgiven, we are rescued from them. We are declared righteous in God’s sight and restored to a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. My prayer today is that we should rejoice in this truth with great delight. We do have something to sing about! (Dilly, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus' humanity revealed in the genealogy,” by Severus of Antioch (488-538 AD).

"One must bear in mind therefore that the Evangelists, or rather the Spirit speaking through them, took pains to ensure that their readers believed that Christ was truly God and truly human. Because of what they wrote, no one could possibly doubt that he is God by nature, beyond all variation, mutation or illusion, and that according to the ordered plan of God he was truly human. This is why John could say, on the one hand, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' John immediately adds, 'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:1-2,14). Hence Matthew wrote appropriately, 'The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.' On the one hand he is not able to be counted simply from natural generation among families, since it is written, 'Who shall declare his generation'? (Isaiah 53:8)

"He is before the centuries and of one substance with the Father himself, from the standpoint of eternity. But by this genealogy he is also numbered among the families of humanity according to the flesh. For in truth, while remaining God, Christ became man without ceasing to be God, unaltered till the end of time. This is why there is also mention of the ancient patriarchs in the lineage, the narrative and observation of the times and vicissitudes that are indeed proper to human history. Through all this Matthew made it clear that Christ participates in our human generation and in our nature. Otherwise some might claim that he appeared in illusion and in imagination only, rather than by becoming genuinely human. Think of what might have been said if none of this had been written?" (excerpt from CATHEDRAL SERMONS, HOMILY 94) (Dilly, 2025)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23 notes that throughout Jesus’ preaching and travels, his healings and miracles, and even his passion and death, Mary remained steadfast in her obedience and faith. Her humility likely inspired the other disciples to keep their focus on Jesus and hold fast to his words. Then, at the foot of his cross, she became Mother of the Church and our own mother (John 19:27).

What an amazing plan God had for his Son to save us—through Mary! As St. Andrew of Crete once said, “Let everything in heaven and earth join in festive celebration” at God’s work in Mary (Oratio, 1). Let’s thank God for sending his Son to save us. And let’s rejoice at Mary’s birth because “Today this created world is raised to the dignity of a holy place for him who made all things!”

“Thank you, Lord, for choosing Mary to be part of your wondrous plan of salvation!” (Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Micah speaks of Bethlehem as a place where he believed a great person to be born. He wanted another King to be faithful and be from Davidic stock likely to be in Bethlehem. The Spirit had greater meanings for this passage that was used to herald the Messiah. Mary was predestined before her conception. We are all called to be saved. We will be justified and glorified in our response. The Genealogy of Jesus as Son of Abraham and son of David is explained through three groups of fourteen generations.  Fourteen is symbolic of DVD or David and Jesus is declared to be three times better than David in this structure. Note the unusual women in the plan for Israel to set the pattern for Mary and birth of Jesus. Friar Jude reminds us that because Mary was “Found with child”, Joseph could allow the death penalty for her. Joseph dreams and he will care for Mary and the child. Matthew is redefining compassion through Joseph. 

Fr. Richard Rohr examines different ways of understanding and using power. Enduring structures of “power over,” like patriarchy, white supremacy, and unfettered capitalism, have limited most individuals’ power for so long that it’s difficult to imagine another way. Only very gradually does human consciousness come to a selfless use of power, the sharing of power, or even a benevolent use of power—in church, politics, or families.

A prime idea of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is its very straightforward critique of misuses of power. From the very beginning, the Bible undercuts the power of domination and teaches us another kind of power: powerlessness itself. God is able to use unlikely figures who in one way or another are always inept, unprepared, and incapable—powerless in some way. In the Bible, the bottom, the edge, or the outside is the privileged spiritual position. This is why biblical revelation is revolutionary and even subversive. The so-called “little ones” (Matthew 18:6) or the “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), as Jesus calls them, are the only teachable and “growable” ones according to him. Powerlessness seems to be God’s starting place, as in Twelve-Step programs. Until we admit that “we are powerless,” Real Power will not be recognized, accepted, or even sought. (Rohr, n.d.)

We contemplate the plan of God for our fullness of life through our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader that is based on humility and modelling of the “yes” of Mary.

References

Dilly, B. (2025, September 8). Daily Reflection September 8, 2025 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-8-2025 

Matthew, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/1?1 

Meditation on Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/09/08/1376649/ 

Micah, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/micah/5?1 

Psalms, PSALM 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/13?6 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Power Within. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/power-within/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/8?28 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Mary's Call to Be the Mother of Jesus the Savior. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 8, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep8a