HOMILY 11th Sunday OT A
Franklin Fong, OFM
June 18, 2023
With this week we now formally begin the Ordinary Time lectionary readings each Sunday. These readings will bring our attention to how it is we are to walk our journey of faith with head, heart and hands. The main focus for the past several weeks has been all of the reasons why we have a faith journey . So, now we begin to focus our energies on how we live our faith lives.
The question which is answered in each reading is “How is God working in our lives today?”
In the first reading from Exodus, God reminds the Israelites of the special choice He makes of them through his delivery of them from slavery in Egypt. Speaking through Moses on Mount Sinai God declares that if they obey His commands and keep His covenant they will be a treasured possession.
In the Psalm 100 we hear a call to all people to praise and serve the Lord joyfully, recognizing that we are his people and the sheep of His flock. These verses focus on God’s goodness, role as creator and caretaker of His people, and His continuing kindness and faithfulness for His people.
In the second reading from Romans we hear of God’s great love by sacrificing his son Jesus for the early Christians who were undeserving of such favor from God. What explains this special love? This gift of choice instilled in God’s people a sense of vocation. They were called to share the gift of God’s love with others.
In the Gospel of Matthew readings, we hear of Jesus’ compassion for the crowds. Jesus decides to send out 12 disciples to heal the sick, raise the dead, and proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus instructs his disciples to freely give what they have received encouraging them to serve others with love and generosity.
Jesus’ call of the 12 apostles serves as a challenge to each of us today as a norm for us in the fulfillment of our vocations. We are, as were the disciples, asked to believe that there is a special harvest that awaits our labors. We are more than sheep led by the Divine Shepherd. We are also called to be shepherds of those who need our compassionate care.
The apostles, persons of different talents, are assigned a variety of tasks. In God’s people there is ample place of the cooperative effort of unique ministries.
As the apostles are first sent to their own people, the principle service of most of us will be to those close to us. In the diversity of our roles, however, we have the same overall purpose.
Our primary purpose is to open the hearts of all to the reign of God and his forgiving love. Jesus reminds us that we are to give as we have received. As we heard “The gift you have received, give as a gift.”
So the unifying themes for our readings is looking at how God has worked in our lives. The first reading we are reminded that God led Israelites out of Egypt. The Psalm tells us that God cares for us. The second reading we hear how God proves his love for us because Christ dies for us. And in the Gospel of Matthew we heard how Jesus cared for the people and sent his disciples to do the same.
Some questions to consider in the coming week:
• Think back and name what ways have you have experienced God in your lives?
• What areas of our lives today might we need to consider surrendering to Him more fully as we cultivate a deeper sense of obedience to God’s commands in our lives?
Brothers and Sisters of the Chinese Catholic Community
that is the Good News for this 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Alleluia Alleluia
(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)
常年期(甲年)第十一主日 (06/18/2023)
鄺神父主日證道中譯本
讀經一: 出谷紀 19:2-6
讀經二: 聖保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 5:6-11
聖瑪竇福音 9:36 - 10:8
從本週起，我們正式開始了常年期主日的讀經。這些經文會把我們的關注點帶到如何以思考、心靈和行動走信仰旅程。過去好幾個星期的經文重點是我們要走信仰旅程的原因。而現在我們開始將精力集中在如何渡信仰生活。
今天的每篇讀經要回答的問題都是指向“天主如何在我們的生活中作工”？
在第一篇讀經"出谷紀"中，上主通過將以色列人從埃及的奴役中解救出來，提醒他們天主為他們作的特殊選擇。上主通過梅瑟在西乃山上說，如果以色列人遵守天主的命令並遵守祂的盟約，他們將成為天主的珍貴產業。
聖詠第 100 篇呼召所有人歡歡喜喜地讚美和侍奉主，認識到我們是祂的子民，是祂牧場中的羊。這些經文著重於上主的善良，作為衪子民的創造者和看守者的角色，以及衪對子民的持續仁慈和信實。
在第二篇讀經致羅馬人書中，我們看到天主的大愛，祂為不配得到天主恩惠的早期基督徒犧牲了祂的兒子耶穌。怎樣解釋這種特殊的愛？這種選擇的恩賜灌輸給天主子民一種使命感。他們被召喚與他人分享天主賜予愛的禮物。
今天在瑪竇福音的經文中，我們聽到耶穌憐憫群眾。決定派出十二門徒去醫治病人，復活死人，並宣揚天國喜訊。耶穌訓示門徒，要將他們白白得來的東西，也白白地給予，鼓勵他們用愛心和慷慨為他人服務。
耶穌召叫十二宗徒是對我們每個人今天的挑戰，是我們履行聖召的準則。與當日的門徒們一樣，我們被召叫時是相信有一個特別的收成等待著我們努力耕耘。我們不單只是由神聖牧人帶領的綿羊。我們也蒙召成為那些需要我們慈悲關懷的人的牧羊人。
宗徒是具有不同才能的人，他們被指派了不同的任務。在天主子民中，每個獨特的事工都有充分努力合作的空間。
由於宗徒首先被派往服務他們自己的同胞，所以我們主要都是為我們的近人服務。然而，在我們多樣性的角色中，我們有相同的整體目的。
我們的主要目的是讓所有人敞開心扉接受上主以寬恕和愛來統領我們。耶穌提醒我們，我們白白收到的，也要照樣白白地給予。正如我們聽到的“你收到的禮物，也要作為禮物送給別人。”
所以今天讀經的主題是要了解上主如何在我們的生活中工作。讀經一提醒我們，上主帶領以色列人離開埃及。聖詠表達了天主的關愛。我們在讀經二看到天主如何證明衪對我們的愛，因為基督為我們而死。在瑪竇福音中，我們聽到耶穌如何關愛百姓，並派遣門徒去做同樣的事。
下週需要考慮的一些問題：
• 回想一下，並說出在你的生活中，曾以哪些方式經驗過天主？
• 當我們在生活中深化順服上主的命令時，我們在今天生活的哪些方面能更完全地降服於衪？
華人天主教會的弟兄姊妹們，這就是常年期第十一主日的好消息。
亞肋路亞，感謝天主。
