Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Mt 9,36-10,8

God never stops calling…

Jesus, when he saw the crowds, had compassion on them ~ Mt 9:36.

Jesus, when he saw the crowds, had compassion on them. Jesus has his eyes wide open. He sees people and the state they are in, what they are experiencing, what they are facing. He has crowds before him, but he sees the face of each one personally, individually. He sees that some are being served, others are wronged, and still others are lonely. Man cannot hide from God. He is not in a position to deceive Him; even if he pretends that he is well and that nothing bothers him, God knows better. Because he looks into the face and heart of each person, he knows what is pressing on him and what he needs.

Jesus does not look at me, driven only by simple curiosity; he does not look to catch me in something and punish me. When God looks at me, he does not act like a gendarme or a policeman. He looks at me with the eyes of a loving Mother and a loving father. He seems to know what I need most and when and how best to help me. Jesus looks and sees that the harvest is great. What is it if not the “harvest” of our human suffering, difficulties, struggles for a better life, our fight with evil, with temptations, with Satan? There are many needs. Every person, at different times in life, has many. The problem is that he, alone and by his own strength, is not able to cope. And very often he remains alone with his difficulties. He feels abandoned and therefore helpless.

The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The number of those who would like to help another when he is in need is small. We become more and more egotistical, closed to others, and even hostile towards them. Jesus sees this and suffers. He suffers because we have so many serious difficulties that there is a “harvest” full of them, and we are less and less able to cope with them. There is more and more sadness on our faces and less and less true joy. More and more fear accumulates in our hearts, and there is less and less trust in them. We feel lost in a world that we would like to know and govern, but without God. We have known much, and we rule strongly, but because we have excluded God, the world terrifies us, and we fear tomorrow. Truly great is the “harvest” of human needs.

Pray to the Lord of the harvest,” says Jesus. He wants to help us, that is why he says “just.” He does not want to replace us in what we can do ourselves, for which we have enough strength and time. Jesus says that we should pray! So little, and yet so much. So little, but with such colossal value. Jesus speaks of this with great kindness for us. He does not mean himself or his goods. He wants to make us happy. He wants me to feel good in the world I live in, and he longs for something else: heaven, where I will be even better.

When a person prays, he does a lot. In prayer, he cooperates with God; he unites his strength with His power. He is no longer alone; God is with him. And so, when he prays, he has power over unclean spirits, casts them out, and heals all diseases and all infirmities. Only the one who prays has such exceptional power. Jesus thus reveals to us the sources of power for correcting our spiritual state. He knows perfectly what ails us, and he administers the responsible medicine for the disease. He determines his diagnosis and recommends therapy. He is the divine Physician.

He called twelve to himself – writes the inspired author. Not five, or ten, but twelve, because a year consists of 12 months. So Jesus called twelve and sent them into the world, because there is no month in any year of my life without His closeness, concern, and active love. Jesus sends a clear signal: He is with me every month, every week, and every day, in every moment of my life. Why? To heal those who are sick, to bring hope, love, and harmony to life for those who have perhaps forgotten hope, who have abandoned love or been betrayed, to reconcile us with one another, to appease passions, to calm wars, to establish peace.

Jesus also wants to cleanse lepers. How many different kinds of leprosy are there in our lives! There are words full of leprosy that undermine the dignity of others, give rise to passions, and destroy families. There are leprous glances that do not embrace others in their entirety, with love and kindness, but objectively and with anger. There is much leprosy in our lives. Jesus also comes to cast out evil spirits. He removes from our lives harmful thoughts, distorted desires, aggression, and hatred of our neighbor.

And he wants nothing but a change. He does it for free. There is more beauty in giving than in receiving. That is why God offers himself for free. In return, He expects only that I pray to Him and thank Him in prayer. And it is beautiful that Jesus does not want to act alone and does not intend to. He desires to share with others the beauty that He does. He invites men to cooperate: He chose twelve and sent them. Every day, God chooses new people, new apostles, and sends them to do good in His name, because there is a great harvest of needs. And is He calling me too? Has he already called me? Have I responded to Him? God calls different people and in different ways, but always so that they may do the same good that He does. Today, we ask that our ears and hearts be open to the voice of God when He calls and sends us to do good. Let us also pray for holy priestly vocations.