Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time-A
Oftentimes, when we hear Jesus speak to us about his Kingdom, some of those messages are uncomfortable for us to grapple with. Such is the case with today’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew. It starts with an abundant harvest, but the laborers are few, and we are to ask the harvest master to send more people to help.
So far, so good because if a person has not been called to religious life, the plea has nothing to do with me. The reading continues to enforce this perception by recalling the moment when the Apostles are named and given the “authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.” The ordinary Christian does not have the recognizable power over unclean spirits, nor the capacity to cure every disease. Jesus appears to be speaking to a limited number of his followers for a specific mission, which is a small percentage of all Christians.
Surely this teaching is far from uncomfortable because it really doesn’t have a bearing on the majority of Christians. This conclusion we may have already reached, as we shall see, is superficial and shortsighted. After the naming of the twelve, Jesus gave them authority to go out into the world and proclaim the Kingdom. Here is the catch—they are not to go and convert the pagans, but rather go after the lost sheep of Israel. Now the temperature of uncomfortableness is rising.
Going after the lost sheep implies that our own family and close friends have strayed from the Truth, and it is to these that the Kingdom must be reintroduced. You see, the commissioning of the Apostles is an archetype for all Christians, not a specific deed in religious life. Through our Baptism and Confirmation, we have been authorized and commissioned to interact with the lost sheep and reaffirm that the Kingdom is at hand.
The temptations and falsehoods of the world have affected the formation of Christians. They, too, were baptized and commissioned, and some, along the way, have become lost sheep. Those who were raised as Catholics and formed in the faith have rejected the teaching in whole or in part. It is not unusual that these Christians have ignored sexual morality and will willingly enter into quasi-marital living arrangements by moving in with each other. They manipulate their families to acknowledge their lifestyle by having their loved ones choose between the relationship with them and their faith.
The same holds with the lost sheep who selfishly and recklessly misuse the gift of reproduction to satisfy a dream without counting the cost of such a decision. And if by chance they decide to marry, many of the lost sheep have totally ignored the Church and enter into the union without asking for God’s grace through the sacrament to help them in their new vocation.
The reality just mentioned is happening in remarkable numbers. No doubt these situations are uncomfortable for family members, but they also show how difficult it is to preach to the lost sheep. Given family dynamics and a desire to maintain relationships with them, it is understandable that it is so hard for them to challenge their children about the choices they have made.
The many years of normalization of disordered living have resulted in many Christians becoming lost sheep. Although they may not be physically sick, they are spiritually ill and need healing. Holding on to the faith and gently pushing back is the medicine to cure the disease. Just as the Apostles were given authority to cure the sick, every Christian who follows the truth has the same power, as a member of the Body of Christ, to minister to the spiritually sick, even if that person is a family member.
Certainly, the work is not easy, but if those you love were physically ill, many would move a mountain to help. The first step is prayer, and the next is to accept the commission of being a laborer for Christ. Uncomfortable, yes, but a mission we should want to undertake because we love and want our own to be saved.