July 12, 2023
Wenesde for Week 14 for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
Listen for English
Jesus send these Twelve out after E give dem this instruction: “Make una no go territory of people wey no dey worship God, or enter any Samaritan town. Instead, make una go meet the sheep of the house of Israel wey don lost. As una dey go, make una announce this message: ‘The Kingdom of heaven don near.’” Matthew 10:5–7
Di very last words wey Jesus talk, just before E ascend go Heaven, dey widen di assignment wey we read above, wey Jesus give His Apostle dem. Later, E talk say, “So make una go make people for every nation become disciples, dey baptize dem for di name of di Father, and of di Son, and of di Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). For di end, Jesus send di Twelve and all His disciples go reach di ends of di earth to proclaim di Gospel to every creature. But for here, before di Holy Spirit come, and before Jesus finish His mission for earth, E tell di Twelve make dem go only “to di sheep wey don lost for di house of Israel.” So, Jesus give some kind of first place to preaching di Gospel to people wey God don already entrust with di revelations of di Old Testament—that na, di teachings of di Law of Moses and di prophets.
Even though all of us today must hear our Lord as E dey call us to “make people from all nations My disciples,” we must also hear this special mission to first preach to people wey don already be members of God family. And even though the Holy Spirit don already come today, and the Gospel don already spread far and wide, one important spiritual lesson still dey wey we fit learn from how Jesus expand this mission step by step, from people wey belong to God family to people wey never know the Gospel.
Start with yourself. As you hear how Jesus stress am to His Twelve say make dem first go meet the sheep of the house of Israel wey don lost, make you hear our Lord as E dey talk especially about you. You wey don receive Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion now get special duty to listen to the Gospel of Christ and respond to am. From there, God entrust you with the work of sharing the Gospel in a special way with people wey share your faith too. For that reason, parents get special duty to share the Gospel with their children. Friends wey belong to the same faith community get special duty to reach out to other people wey share their faith. And pastors of the Church must do the same. The Gospel now na for the whole world, and dem must proclaim am to everybody, but this passage seem to dey stress how important e be to share the Gospel with other disciples of Christ.
From our everyday life, we know say plenty people dey wey profess faith in Christ, but wey never fully receive the Gospel into their life. Plenty people don receive the Sacraments, but dem no get the deep faith wey God dey call dem to get. E fit seem say most people no dey worship our Lord every day, and plenty people no dey worship Am prayerfully each and every week. So, e go help if you put yourself inside this Gospel passage and hear our Lord as E dey call you to devote yourself especially to sharing the Gospel with people wey don already become members of His Church, even if na only for name.
If we start with ourselves, dey try to grow deeper every day for our life of faith, dey pray and dey seek the will of God, then e go easier for God to use us as E want, to share the faith with people wey belong to God family but wey their faith fit dey weak. And for una wey don “commit una whole self” and truly give una self over to Christ, God go surely use una too to proclaim the Gospel to people wey never come know Christ through the gift of faith.
Reflect today on the invitation wey Jesus dey give you to be His evangelist. First, look your own life and do everything wey you fit do to allow the Gospel change you into person wey dey follow Christ with strong devotion. From there, dey open to the many ways wey God want use you every day to inspire other people to become followers of our Lord. Start with your family. Pray for dem. Pay attention to how the grace wey God dey give you dey move you to reach out to dem. Then, turn your eyes to the wider community too. Allow the Lord to lead, follow His voice, and E go use you in many ways to help other people come know the burning love wey E get for dem.
My King wey dey rule over all things, You bin come to set up Your Kingdom for the life of everybody. You dey call all Your creatures to get faith in You. Help me make I dey among the first people wey turn to You with all my heart. Abeg, still use me as instrument to bring Your grace wey dey save to the people wey You don put for my life. My life na Your own, dear Lord. Use me as You want. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
Di pictures wey we display above: E Send Dem Out Two Two by James Tissot, through Wikimedia Commons
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