Daily Readings - Sat Dec 09 2023
Isaiah
19For the people of Zion will live in Jerusalem. Bitterly, you will not weep. Mercifully, he will take pity on you. At the voice of your outcry, as soon as he hears, he will respond to you20And the Lord will give you thick bread and accessible water. And he will not cause your teacher to fly away from you anymore. And your eyes will behold your instructor21And your ears will listen to the word of one admonishing you behind your back: "This is the way! Walk in it! And do not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left.23And wherever you sow seed upon the earth, rain will be given to the seed. And bread from the grain of the earth will be very plentiful and full. In that day, the lamb will pasture in the spacious land of your possession24And your bulls, and the colts of the donkeys that work the ground, will eat a mix of grains like that winnowed on the threshing floor25And there will be, on every lofty mountain, and on every elevated hill, rivers of running water, in the day of the slaughter of many, when the tower will fall26And the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord will bind the wound of his people, and when he will heal the stroke of their scourge
Matthew
35And Jesus traveled throughout all of the cities and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every illness and every infirmity36Then, seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them, because they were distressed and were reclining, like sheep without a shepherd37Then he said to his disciples: "The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few38Therefore, petition the Lord of the harvest, so that he may sent out laborers to his harvest.
1And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to cure every sickness and every infirmity5Jesus sent these twelve, instructing them, saying: "Do not travel by the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the city of the Samaritans6but instead go to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel7And going forth, preach, saying: ‘For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.8Cure the infirm, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You have received freely, so give freely
Sermon
In today's readings, we find a beautiful tapestry woven by the prophets and the Gospel, inviting us to reflect on God's promise of restoration and our role as His laborers. The First Reading from Isaiah paints a vivid picture of a future filled with hope and abundance, where the people of Zion will live in Jerusalem without tears, guided by teachers and blessed with fertile land. This vision of restoration is a beacon of light for a people who have endured hardship, promising them that God's compassion and provision will prevail. The imagery of abundant water and grain, along with the intensified light of the moon and sun, symbolizes a time of divine healing and illumination.
In the Gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as the compassionate shepherd who sees the multitudes as distressed and without guidance. Moved by their condition, Jesus calls upon His disciples to pray for more laborers to assist in the harvest—the work of spreading the Gospel. He then commissions the twelve disciples, empowering them to heal and cast out demons, instructing them to focus first on the lost sheep of Israel. This mission is a continuation of the hope Isaiah foretold, as Jesus extends God's healing and teaching through His disciples, indicating the expansion of God's kingdom beyond the Jewish people, starting with them.
These readings call us to recognize our role in God's plan. Just as Jesus had compassion on the crowds, we are urged to see the needs around us and respond with love and service. The moral lesson here is one of trust and active participation in God's work. We are reminded to trust in God's providence and to be His laborers, bringing healing and light to a world in need. As we go about our daily lives, let us embrace this call with compassion, freely giving as we have freely received, and trusting that God's restoration and peace will prevail.