This Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time in Liturgical Year A. The gospel is taken from Matthew 9:36 – 10:8 which falls in a section that is part of the Galilee ministry, but towards the end with a third cycle of Jesus’ mighty acts (9:18–34) which reveals his power over death and chronic illness, blindness, and speechlessness. The Galilee ministry ends with essentially a summary verse: “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.” (Mt 9:35, a virtual repeat of Mt 4:23)

It is from this summary verse that we see the connection between discipleship and mission:

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (vv. 36-38)

The connection is made clear in that both endeavors, shepherding and harvest, need workers to bring the endeavor to its completion. God is the ultimate shepherd and harvest master, but he needs the cooperation of those who accept Jesus’ invitation to discipleship. The three sections on discipleship in chapters 8–9 emphasize the radical demands that it can involve, the fact that all kinds of people can be called to it and the radical newness that it represents, and its missionary dimension (9:35–38). The final verses of Matthew 9 serve as the prologue for the great Missionary Discourse (Mt 10:1-42).

The disciples’ mission is limited to the people of Israel (vv. 5b–6), and they are to avoid entering the cities of non-Jews and Samaritans (whose Judaism was suspect in the eyes of Judeans and Galileans). Only after the death and resurrection of Jesus does the mission to the latter groups begin (see 28:19). The disciples’ mission replicates and extends the mission of Jesus in preaching the coming of God’s kingdom and in healing the sick. As discipleship has been offered to them as a gift, so they are to offer it to others.

Wandering preachers representing various philosophies and religions were a common sight in the world of Jesus’ time. Jesus’ disciples are instructed not to be anxious about money or baggage or lodging, but rather to depend on the charity of their hearers (vv. 9–13). Their lack of concern for money, clothing, and lodging allows them to carry out the mission in a more single-minded way. It also bears witness to their trust in God’s care for them and to their conviction that what has been freely received should be freely given.

Image credit: Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-1311, National Gallery of Art, Public Domain

This Sunday we will celebrate the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time includes the days not part of the Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter seasons. The Easter season extends to and includes Pentecost Sunday. Ordinary Time starts the Monday following Pentecost. Apart from special feast days and memorials, the liturgical color is green, but you may have noticed the two Sundays following Pentecost used white as the liturgical colors. Still, the Solemnity of Holy Trinity (9th week) and Corpus Christi (10th week) are part of Ordinary Time.

Did you know that the word “ordinary” as used here comes from the ordinal numerals by which the weeks are identified or counted. The weekly count moves from the 1st week of Ordinary Time in January (typically the Baptism of the Lord) to the 34th week that begins toward the end of November. In 2023 we celebrated the 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time just before Ash Wednesday, the week following Pentecost was the 8th Week of Ordinary Time. The 9th and 10th Sundays were noted above – and that brings us to the 11th Sunday.

Will this always be the same each year? Nope. It all depends on when Easter is celebrated which in turn affects the date of Ash Wednesday, which always falls 46 days before Easter Sunday. The earliest Ash Wednesday can be celebrated is February 4th. Of course that last happened in 1818 and won’t happen again until the year 2285. The latest Ash Wednesday can be celebrated is March 10th, but it has to be in a Leap Year with other factors falling into place and that won’t happen again until 2096.

For the record, the last Sunday of Ordinary Time is the Solemnity of Christ the King. And since we are on the topic, the liturgical year can have either 33 or 34 weeks of Ordinary Time. How that shifts is too long to explain, but here is an easy way to remember. If the following liturgical year starts in November, the previous liturgical year’s Ordinary Time will have 33 weeks.  If the following liturgical year starts in December, the previous liturgical year’s Ordinary Time will have 34 weeks.

Image credit: Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-1311, National Gallery of Art, Public Domain

This Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The gospel is from the opening verses of the Matthean Missionary Discourse. In the previous two posts we explored the intention and meaning of the geographical limitations placed on the Twelve’s commissioning. In this post we examine two simple verses that provide the framework for the mission itself: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Mt 10:7-8) Continue reading →

This Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The gospel is from the opening verses of the Matthean Missionary Discourse. In the previous post we discussed Jesus’ commissioning of the Twelve but noted the geographical limitations on the mission. It is worth exploring this limitation a bit more. Continue reading →

This Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The gospel is from the opening verses of the Matthean Missionary Discourse. In the previous post we discussed the summoning and significance of the 12 disciples called “apostles” (this one and only time in Matthew) and later called “the Twelve.” In this post The commission of the Twelve is spelled out in strictly functional terms as an extension of Jesus’ mission described in Mt 8 and 9. Note that the commission and its terms are also found in in Mark 6:7–11; Luke 9:1–5; 10:1–12. Continue reading →

This Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time. The gospel is from the opening verses of the Matthean Missionary Discourse. From the first verses one should notice a change in vocabulary as 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…” (Mt 10:1-2) Up until this point those who follow Jesus have been referred to as “disciples.” Continue reading →

This Sunday is the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time in Liturgical Year A. The gospel is taken from Matthew 9:36 – 10:8 which falls in a section that is part of the Galilee ministry, but towards the end with a third cycle of Jesus’ mighty acts (9:18–34) which reveals his power over death and chronic illness, blindness, and speechlessness. The Galilee ministry ends with essentially a summary verse: “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.” (Mt 9:35, a virtual repeat of Mt 4:23) Continue reading →

This Sunday (2023) we return to Ordinary Time in the liturgical sense. Ordinary Time includes the days not part of the Advent, Christmas, Lent or Easter seasons. The Easter season extends to and includes Pentecost Sunday. Ordinary Time starts the Monday following Pentecost. Apart from special feast days and memorials, the liturgical color is green, but you may have noticed the two Sundays following Pentecost used white as the liturgical colors. Still, the Solemnity of Holy Trinity (9th week) and Corpus Christi (10th week) are part of Ordinary Time. Continue reading →