Reflection for July 12, Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 10:1-7

Gospel: Matthew 10:1-7

Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: 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 Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. 

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

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Reflection:

The story is told about an old man that died, when he was about to enter the pearly gates it was Jesus who was at the gate and not St. Peter. So Jesus asked the old man, have you done anything to propagate the faith? The man wasn’t able to reply for he did not do anything to evangelize anyone. 

Perhaps when it will be our time to go through that very same pearly gates who knows this question might be asked of us as well: Have you done anything to spread the faith? How would we answer the Good Lord then? 

When Jesus called the twelve apostles HE told them to evangelize not to the far-flung areas yet. But rather to evangelize those within their sphere of influence first. Perhaps this thought was playing in the mind of Jesus; before you go far ensure first that all those near you have been evangelized first. 

This is the call for all of us today: before we evangelize our neighbors. We must see to it first that those within our family circle have been evangelized already. Parents therefore must see to it that everyone inside their house has already been evangelized. 

For example, it’s so powerful to see the whole family going to Holy Mass every Sunday. When the neighborhood would see it, it sends a powerful message that they too must go to Holy Mass as a family. 

But we are on a selfie mindset today brought about by facebook, social media and the modernity of our time. We have now this culture of I will mind myself, my own worship and my own faith! Which if not corrected would eventually lead us to indifference and selfishness. 

Let us therefore reverse this selfie mindset by gently sharing our faith through our words and actions within our family first.  Have you already shared your faith to your family? – Marino J. Dasmarinas