THURSDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Memorial of Saint Benedict abbot - Mt 10:7-15 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

"No sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick." (Mt 10:10)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah

IS 1:10-17

Hear the word of the LORD,

princes of Sodom!

Listen to the instruction of our God,

people of Gomorrah!

What care I for the number of your sacrifices?

says the LORD.

I have had enough of whole-burnt rams

and fat of fatlings;

In the blood of calves, lambs and goats

I find no pleasure.

When you come in to visit me,

who asks these things of you?

Trample my courts no more!

Bring no more worthless offerings;

your incense is loathsome to me.

New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,

octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.

Your new moons and festivals I detest;

they weigh me down, I tire of the load.

When you spread out your hands,

I close my eyes to you;

Though you pray the more,

I will not listen.

Your hands are full of blood!

Wash yourselves clean!

Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;

cease doing evil; learn to do good.

Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,

hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew

MT 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.

I have come to bring not peace but the sword.

For I have come to set

a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother,

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,

and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

and whoever does not take up his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it,

and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me,

and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet

will receive a prophet’s reward,

and whoever receives a righteous man

because he is righteous

will receive a righteous man’s reward.

And whoever gives only a cup of cold water

to one of these little ones to drink

because he is a disciple–

amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,

he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

THURSDAY OF THE FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot - Mt 10:7-15

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God today recounts how God gave power to the apostles, as well as all the people God chose, and sent them out to preach the Gospel, heal all diseases and illnesses, and drive out demons for everyone.

"Without cost, you have received; without cost, you are to give.

God wants His disciples to go and continue His mission of saving souls. He wants His disciples to look up to the example of the self-sacrificing love of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Jesus Christ died to atone for the sins of humanity, to save people from death, and to give them eternal life.

Therefore, God requires His apostles to also possess a self-giving love, an unconditional sacrifice following the perfect example of Jesus Christ.

Today, God the Father calls disciples, prophets, and all those who wish to follow the path of Jesus Christ to imitate and live by His example by sharing with others everything you have given by God's grace with unconditional and uncalculated love.

Trust everything to God, allowing our hearts to be empty, then God's grace will pour in and give everyone strength to serve others with all our souls and minds. This is what God the Father desires from His disciples.

Especially the prophets of the new era, which are the Army of Light of God the Father. We must absolutely follow the example of Jesus Christ in reaching out to all nations, to the poor, the suffering, the sick, and sinners, for they are the ones in need of God's healing. As for those who do not need God and chase away disciples, they need to be humble, lower themselves, be patient, pray, and make more sacrifices to ask God to sanctify their souls, so that they know how to open their hearts to recognize their brothers and sisters as images of God coming to them.

The Word of God today also teaches disciples how to "shake off the dust from their feet" when they go out on missions, encounter difficulties and obstacles, or face opposition. To shake off the dust means giving them back what belongs to them, which are the insults, the humiliations, etc., and they will be accountable for what they do. It is also a testimony against them, that they will be judged on the last day, for the Lord said: "Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town."

In the plan of the New Era, God the Father does not want His disciples to worry about those difficulties, but to trust in God the Father, to constantly pray for those who oppose, and for the disciples to be determined to avoid sin,

determined to be loyal to God the Father until their last breath.

The Disciples should use words of wisdom, meekness, and humility to dialogue in a loving manner, constructiveness, and unity.

- The disciples are imperfect people of God but they are loved by Him and sent to spread His love and mercy. Whatever He said, whatever He told them, they followed. They only knew how to listen and obey Him with the main purpose of

saving souls, helping people leave their sinful path, and returning to God the Father.

The Church or society encourages its members to live in peace, and purity, without greed, refrain from gambling or drinking alcohol, and put an end to all evil doings to build a peaceful, joyful, and happy society.

When God sent His disciples to collaborate with people to help build peace in the midst of war and conflict, they did nothing other than call people to abandon sin, which means giving up fornication, theft, alcohol, passion, and selfishness, calling people to know how to sacrifice themselves and together build a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, and happy society that knows how to live in brotherhood and share with one another.

So then why arrest them?

God is love, a love that God emptied Himself into nothingness. There is no love as great as the love of God!

This is the highest kind of love that a disciple may experience only comes from God.

The Disciples remain in God's love because it is His love that ignites the fire of enthusiasm to go out, to continue the mission of Jesus Christ, to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to call everyone to repent of their sins and return to God the Father, heal the sick from all diseases, and cast out demons. This is done with the authority of the power of Love given by God the Father. Thus, the human soul will be freed from the control of Satan and safely returned to God the Father, who is rich in mercy.

Thanks be to God. Amen