Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saint Matthew has certainly packed a lot into today’s Gospel passage: In just seven sentences, I can see the possibility for at least four separate sermons. But, since St. Matthew condensed his thought into a singular, clear and homogenous proposition, I thought I’d spare you four sermons and combine the issues into one concise but excellent presentation.

Here are the four elements that St. Matthew presents:

+ a picture of the Lord’s compassion for His people
+ a request for prayers for vocations
+ the summoning of the twelve Apostles
+ the commissioning of the Apostles to go forth.

Let’s look at how these elements are interwoven into a single revelation, deriving inspiration from today’s passage from the Book of Exodus. So… first:

The Lord’s Compassion
Saint Matthew tells us “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” The word “pity” here can be understood not so much as sorrow, but as compassion or empathy.

This hearkens back to God the Father’s words to Moses, asking him to inform the Israelites: “If you harken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people…” These are the words of an imminent God who wishes to transcend the heavens in order to be close to His people.

Both God the Father and God the Son speak of this closeness, and of the essence of divine relationship as one of “belonging.” God the Father speaks of His people as a “special possession,” and God the Son presents Himself as the Good Shepherd of the lost sheep. By virtue of our Baptism, we belong to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and in the practice of our Baptismal Faith we belong, in particular, to God the Son. This does not cancel out our individuality or autonomy, but gives a new depth of meaning to these, filling out our personhood as belonging to something more than what this earth can offer — that is — to eternal life as our ultimate fulfillment Belonging to God, and living that graced possession give us a new freedom, achieved not by human endeavor, but by eternal love.

God the Father says further, “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” By suggesting that we would all become priests, He’s not speaking of the sacramental priesthood which will be inaugurated by His Son. Here God speaks of  priesthood in the Old Testament figure of one who offers sacrifice.

So, His “kingdom of priests” will be a Church of believers willing primarily to make self-sacrifice in honor of God… and for the love and benefit of others. Our common priesthood, then, is based in God’s request that we hearken to His voice and keep His Covenant. The result He promises is that we will become “a holy nation.” What a gift: to become a holy nation at this particular moment in history.

We will, however, need some guidance and leadership in our kingdom of priests, and for this Jesus asks us to…

Pray for Vocations
We, of course, pray for priestly and religious vocations at every Sunday Mass. But prayer is only the beginning; we must strive to create a culture of vocations. This would involve our encouraging young people to consider the possibility that God is calling them to Himself.

God has not lost His voice in the middle of our present clergy shortage… He’s asking us to be His voice, speaking with our own children, grandchildren, and godchildren, telling them that we recognize within them certain qualities that would make them a good Priest or Religious. Even if we overstate our hopes and intentions, the Holy Spirit will take over from our overtures, so don’t be afraid.

Here, the sacrificial nature of our common priesthood could encourage the self-sacrifice needed for our sons, grandsons, and godsons, especially, to make the move from the sacrificial priesthood, to the sacramental priesthood as Christ calls them. A question would arise here: Are we willing to make the kind of sacrifice called for by encouraging “laborers for the harvest?”

Now we come to the Summoning of the Apostles
The list of the Apostles’ names is more than a simple roster to introduce the Apostles. It reveals that Our Lord is willing to grant leadership to people who are essentially flawed, since, ultimately, His Church will be led by the Holy Spirit, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

So, His Apostles include 
+ one who betrays Him
+ one who denies knowing Him
+ one who questions His resurrection
+ two who argue over their place of leadership
+ the rest, whose lives will remain in obscurity, for the most part.

Flawed leadership continues in the Church today, so we are meant to consider our own discipleship with immediacy and courage, not pressing forth with our own opinions, but living the faith in the midst of a faithless culture.

Now we come to our final element: The Commission to Go Forth
Here, Our Lord leaves nothing to chance or misinterpretation: He tells us where to go, and what to do. He tells us, “Do not go into pagan territory… Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

While it remains important for us to wade into pagan territory when it comes to our position on the Sanctity of Human Life and other contemporary issues that mock God and Our Lord’s Teaching in the Gospels, Jesus is, here, suggesting that we begin closer to home: to speak with fallen-away Catholics and to those who have not returned from the pandemic, especially members of our own families.

While it’s unlikely that any of us  will be able to cure the sick, raise the dead, or heal lepers, we might help to drive out demons, so to speak, beginning with our own. We can do this by speaking truth with prudence and charity… by giving good example… by cordial invitation… and by incessant prayer.

Saint Monica prayed for the conversion of her son for thirty years. Perhaps we can follow her lead. I know that many of you are, indeed, praying in this mode. It is important to entrust our hopes to the Lord and not to lose heart. We might not ever witness the outcome or the efficacy of our prayers; we might, instead, have to witness this from heaven.

Looking back at what we’ve learned from Our Lord today, we can find peace in knowing that: 

+ Jesus prays for His Church constantly.
+ Our prayers for vocations are heard in heaven.
+ Called to leadership or not, we have a place in God’s plan for His Church.
+ Our attempts at evangelization will be noticed by the Holy Spirit and acted upon with His Grace.

Let’s close with this familiar thought from Saint Ignatius of Loyola: “Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on you.”