14th Week in the Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Is 6:1-8
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft. They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
Gospel: Mt 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! “Therefore, do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
ATTENTIVE LISTENING TO THE WORD OF GOD: In the first reading we see Isiah’s words, “Here I am, I said, send me”. This expresses the attitude of a true Christian. God’s invitation is to follow him and to do his will. This requires an attentive listening to his Words. We often keep ourselves so busy in the world that we seldom listen to Him. There is a necessity to heed his Words addressed to each one of us personally. In the moments of our prayer, Eucharistic celebration, meditation, the Word of God is read and it is being addressed to us. Let us strive to keep our hearts and minds pure and clean in order for God’s grace to work in us. There is nothing that happens to us without his knowledge. He is omnipotent and omniscient and let us turn to him in faith and always trust in Him.
Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace to attentively listen to your Word.
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READINESS FOR MISSION: Isaiah, awestruck by the indescribable experience of God’s holiness feels extremely miserable about his human condition. Nevertheless, touched and cleansed by the ember from the altar he feels transformed to do God’s will. Receiving the Holy Communion from the altar transforms and empowers us for the mission of spreading the gospel. A disciple is unstoppable! The Gospel he hears whispered, he will tell from housetops, since it has a compelling force. Paul says, “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” Persecutions and sufferings cannot deter a disciple. What inspires is that nothing happens without the knowledge of the Father. Also strength comes from the promise that the disciple will be rewarded for the stand taken in favour of Jesus, the Master. Do we compromise and dilute the gospel message so that we may be spared suffering? Are we ready to stand with the gospel teachings today, face ridicule and condemnation from those who dance to the tunes of the world?
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CAN I TAKE THE PLACE OF GOD? The question of Joseph to his brothers, calls for deep reflection. This is because there is a tendency of falling into the temptation of assuming God’s place especially when we have the opportunity to make decisions that affect the lives of others. Joseph evaded the temptation and let God be God. He believed that God had superior plans for both himself and for his brothers. The gospels shows us that we should not fear men because they are limited, but rather fear God who can destroy even our soul. It is He who cares for and values us much more than the sparrows. Trusting in Divine Providence and plan can help us be humbler in our relationship with God and with our brethren.
DAILY GOSPEL 