20180712
YOU RECEIVED WITHOUT CHARGE GIVE WITHOUT
CHARGE
12 JULY, 2018, Thursday, 14th Week,
Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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Hosea 11:1-4,8-9 ©
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I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to destroy
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Thus says the Lord:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt.
But the more I called to them, the further they went from me;
they have offered sacrifice to the Baals
and set their offerings smoking before the idols.
I myself taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in my arms;
yet they have not understood that I was the one looking after
them.
I led them with reins of kindness,
with leading-strings of love.
I was like someone who lifts an infant close against his cheek;
stooping down to him I gave him his food.
Ephraim, how could I part with you?
Israel, how could I give you up?
How could I treat you like Admah,
or deal with you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils from it,
my whole being trembles at the thought.
I will not give rein to my fierce anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again,
for I am God, not man:
I am the Holy One in your midst
and have no wish to destroy.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 79(80):2-3,15-16 ©
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Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall
be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall
be saved.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
Let your face shine on us, O Lord, and we shall
be saved.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps94:8
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Mk1:15
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The kingdom of God is close at hand:
repent and believe the Good News.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 10:7-15 ©
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You received without charge: give without charge
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Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that
the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse
the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.
Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your
purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a
staff, for the workman deserves his keep.
‘Whatever
town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him
until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves
it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to
you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as
you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I tell you
solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah as with that town.’
YOU RECEIVED WITHOUT CHARGE, GIVE WITHOUT CHARGE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HOSEA 11:1-4. 8-9; MT 10:7-15 ]
In the first
reading, we read of the gracious love of God for Israel. “When Israel was a child I
loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. I led with reins of kindness,
with leading-strings of love. I was like someone who lifts an infant close
against his cheek; stooping down to him I gave him his food.” God has chosen us
unconditionally, not because of any merit of ours. He treats us like His
sons and daughters. He loves us as our Father and mother. He
provides for all our needs. We are what we are today because of His
divine providence. Indeed, when we look at our lives, we know that the Lord has
always been there for us, otherwise, we would not be where we are today.
We only have His love to thank for. But often we fail to realize that
without His love, we would not be where we are. “I myself taught Ephraim
to walk, I took them in my arms; yet they have not understood that I was the
one looking after them.”
But God is
also a faithful and merciful God. We betray His love for us again and
again. Like little children, we tend to take the love of our parents for
granted. We make promises to be true to God and be obedient to Him if He
grants us our petition. But in a short while, we forget our
promises. We go back to the old way of life, not obeying His will.
We are forgetful of His love for us. This is what the Lord
experienced in His people. “But the more I called to them, the further
they went from me; they have offered sacrifice to the Baals and set their
offerings smoking before the idols.” Instead of worshipping God, we
worship the idols of our lives. We get attached to the world like the
rest of humanity instead of serving God alone.
Most of all,
God is a forgiving God. “My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the thought.
I will not give rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for
I am God, not man: I am the Holy One in your midst and have no wish to
destroy.” This God is a God who always forgives. He does not take
into account our sins. He is ever ready to show mercy and clemency to us
when we are repentant. God knows us because His Son became man and He
could identify with us in our temptations and struggles. That is why
Christ is our compassionate High Priest who continuously intercedes for us
before our heavenly Father.
In the face
of such a loving and merciful God, what must we do? We must continue
the mission of Jesus in proclaiming the Good News in words and deeds. “Jesus
instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of
heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the
lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without
charge.” Just as we have received freely His love and mercy, we desire to
extend what we have undeservedly received to others. This is the
beginning of our mission. We are to produce the signs of faith. Curing
the sick, healing the lepers and setting people free from the bondage of the
devil are means to proclaim the continued presence of God in our midst, lest we
think that He is no longer present in the world.
But this
proclamation of the gospel must be given freely. How can we always love
freely and give freely? The truth is that after some time, we begin to be calculating in
what we do for others. Our love is no longer free but given
conditionally. We serve those who are helpful or good to us. We
serve those who support us. We give our time and services only to our
friends, our benefactors. We are not easily available to those whom we do
not know or are not supportive of us and our programs. If that is the
case, then we are no better than the pagans because they too care for each
other. That is why we must always be watchful of preachers and teachers
who are out to enrich themselves and who show themselves to be equally attached
to the world. Just by using God’s name to get what they want does not
mean that they come from God. We must be wary of them if they always talk
about money and their needs. They should be the least concerned about money.
Instead, their priority should be to make the Good News heard and seen through
their works of mercy and compassion.
To give
without charge, we need to be constantly receiving without charge. We need to continue to
receive His love. This can happen only if we do not depend on ourselves
and hard work alone. That is why true preachers of the gospel live
simply because their only concern is to alleviate the sufferings of their
fellowmen and not to fall into desire for worldly things. By living simply, we
know that our lives are dependent on God alone. It is the experience of
helplessness and uncertainty of our needs tomorrow that we can receive
everything from the Lord with gratitude and wonderment. And God often
surprises us when we least expect. How often in times of difficulty and
challenges, when we felt so helpless, that God sent HIs angels to help us out.
We only need to trust in Him.
This
dependence on divine providence is what the Lord wanted His disciples to go
through so that they would know His love and power. Hence, He said,
“Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for
your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a
staff, for the workman deserves his keep.” The more we experience His
marvellous works in our lives, the greater is our trust in Him. The
greater the confidence in Him, the stronger is our faith when we reach out to
those who need the healing grace of God. Our prayers will be more fervent
and faith-filled and our works will be more effective. With the psalmist
we pray with faith. “O shepherd of Israel, hear us, shine forth from your
cherubim throne. O Lord, rouse up your might, O Lord, come to our help. God of
hosts, turn again, we implore, look down from heaven and see. Visit this
vine and protect it, the vine your right hand has planted.”
But it is not
enough to be free in giving the Good News. We must also allow the freedom
of response. Because the Good News is given freely, it must be freely
received. It cannot be imposed. “And if anyone does not welcome you
or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake
the dust from your feet. I tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it
will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that
town.” We should not be offended if people reject the Good News. If
we do, it is because our pride is hurt. This is the way God regards us as He
did with Israel who rejected Him for the idols. Instead, we should
love them even more.
Indeed, by
being peacemakers and life-bringers, we bring life to ourselves and to our beneficiaries. “Whatever town or
village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you
leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it,
let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to
you.” Peace begets peace, love begets love. This is the rule of
life. What we give to others, we receive in return. In blessing
others, we are blessed in return.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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