Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Matthew 10: 1-7
July 09, 2025 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

Jesus called his Twelve disciples to him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the Twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray him.

Jesus sent these Twelve on mission, with the instructions: “Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town. Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel.

Go, and proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven is near.

Today’s Reflection

From among His disciples, Jesus chose an inner circle of twelve Apostles who He sent out on a mission to proclaim the message that “the kingdom of heaven is near.”There is a distinction between disciples and apostles. A disciple is a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher who is learning, absorbing, and integrating what is being taught into his life. An apostle literally means one who is being sent out like an emissary on a mission to proclaim the message or teachings of his master to others.

In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus cured “every sickness and disease.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives the Twelve “authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and illness.” Through this Twelve, Jesus wants to continue with His good works and mission. In a sense, He was making them the pillars of His Church, with Peter as their leader, and their roles were to be handed to their future successors. His choice of the twelve Apostles must have been perplexing and puzzling to those who knew them, for they were ordinary and simple people sans any special status, skill, or schooling. Yet, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they were extraordinarily successful in spreading the Good News and the continuing growth of His one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

Notably, the initial instruction of Jesus to the Twelve was “not to go to pagan territory or . . . Samaritan town” but “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The work of evangelization starts where we are. Before going out into the world, we must reach out to those around or near us- our immediate family, relatives, friends, and work or social associates. They must see how our faith in Jesus transforms our lives, so they, too, will eagerly accept the Lord. Ultimately, Jesus commanded His disciples to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth. That, too, is our mandate today. Let us preach the Gospel to all through our way of life; we must mirror Christ’s love, care, concern, and compassion in everything we say or do.

/Vulnerasti, 2025