RENUNGAN MINGGUAN – 18 June 2023
Reflection for 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A (17th & 18th June 2023)
First reading: Exodus 19:2-6
Second reading: Romans 5:6-11
Gospel: Matthew 9:36 – 10:8
This weekend missal reading theme is ‘Our Calling’
The 1st reading in Exodus we recalled how the Lord God has chosen the Israelites by bringing them out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land. God has kept his love for them by calling them as His own, a kingdom of priests, a consecrated nation. This call towards the Israelites was that they obey God’s voice and be faithful with the covenant, to respect and follow God’s commandment, having the relationship bond.
The 2nd reading emphasized the importance to remember that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This proves that God has never abandoned us, in fact He was willing to give His only begotten Son, Jesus to die on the cross so that redemption of our sins can be accomplished. We were reconciled with God the Father because Lord Jesus Christ filled us with joyful trust in God. A simple call to repentance and to follow Christ and believe of His salvific works. It is also to allow our lives be transformed by His calling through obedience.
The Gospel reading further demonstrated how God is consistence in His love for the Israelites people, during the time of Jesus, the calling of twelve people of different background without judging their past lives, to that invitation of becoming His apostles. Because of the obedience to the Lord’s call, the apostles have been given the authority to spread the Good News to others, perform miracles by casting out unclean spirits and cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. Jesus specifically instructed the apostles to prioritize their work to the lost sheep of the House of Israel to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
Reflecting to our situation today, God’s calling for us nowadays is no different from the calling of Israelites in the three readings for this weekend. God has always been consistent in wanting the best for us. He wants to remain in close relationship with us like a father to his children. His calling for us is an invitation to repentance, to allow His voice to guide us in leading our lives. Jesus’ death upon the cross while we were still sinners indicates that God first started the kindle invitation through redemption of our sins, only waiting for our response to say yes to His promise of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ.
The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few. Are we open to God’s invitation today to response yes to His calling? To be united again fully with God by being obedient, follow His commandments, to share the Good News of Christ to all those who are in need and seeking Him? Do we want to spread the joy of Christ to others through our life testimony as an encouragement for others? Do we not want others to receive the same eternal life promises that we received without charge, by giving the same opportunity to them as well?
Let us pray and offer ourselves with humility, that the Lord Jesus will speak to us and the prompting of the Holy Spirit guide our hearts today, in order that we can say a definite Yes to God’s call.
Amen.
