How much do you love us?
That was a question that was often asked of my mom and my dad- and it was always amazing to see them struggle to answer that question. They weren’t struggling to answer the question out of any sort of uncertainty, but they always struggled with the answer because they felt they could never adequately express the fullness of that love. They could say “so much” but that almost seemed indefinite. Perhaps they could say “to the moon and back” but what does that mean? The struggle was real, but we always knew why- the quantity was so great that it was hard to measure.
However, there were always tangible signs of that love around us anyways. We were able to look around and see the ways that they would sacrifice for us. The ways that they would spend time with us, even at the end of a long arduous day. The ways that they would work hard to provide us with whatever we needed. Those were the different concrete signs of love that we always received. And, since they are very real and physical people, it is actually very easy to experience that love and to see them working to give it to us. Now, to be clear, love is not just given to us by ones parents, nor ones family, perhaps even just friends. It is something that is promised to us by our Lord as well, though this can be very difficult for us to see, at least in a way where we can appreciate its fullness and depth. What do the scriptures have to tell us about the love that our Lord and our God offer to us?
We start off this weekend with a reading from the book of Exodus, and it gives indication of a time while the Israelites are in the desert of Sinai. It tells the story of how Israel was camped in front of a mountain, where Moses goes up to meet the Lord. He goes up that mountain, and then He hears the word that God is giving to Him to speak to His people. What is the word that he is speaking? He tells the Israelites to first remember how the Egyptians were treated- and how He bore them up on eagles wings and brought them to Himself. This reminder is important to them because it shows that God wants them aware of what He has done for them, and the ways that He has interacted, not simply with them, but with the people that do not enjoy His favor. So He brings them to His mountain, and then gives them instruction.
He further tells them “If you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. So, when it comes to this recounting, the Lord is giving a reminder of how much He loves His people, even to the extent of reminding them that they are above all the other peoples on the Earth. So, He encourages them to be a people that hear his voice and keep his covenant, to be a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation as well. The responsorial psalm does and excellent job of recounting the simple idea within the reading: “We are his people: the sheep of his flock.”
The second reading for this Sunday is taken from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans. This letter should actually be a bit familiar, because we heard from it a number of weeks ago during the Easter season. Nonetheless, as Saint Paul is speaking to the Church in Rome, he reminds them of the work that Christ has done- that while we were still helpless, Christ died at the appointed time nonetheless. Notice the drama packed into this idea, though. It seems that one might die for a just person, even though it may be difficult, but what about an unjust person? What about the individual who doesn’t seem to deserve it? That is the reality of what Christ does- in that He doesn’t just die for those who are righteous, but He dies for those who are unjust as well- and those who need his mercy the most. So, we are seeking that reconciliation, and we hope to receive it ourselves as well.
Finally, we arrive at the Gospel according to Matthew. In this Gospel, notice the very first line- at the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them. They were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. He sees all of this and His heart is moved with pity- so what does He do? He speaks 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. When he does this, he gives them power and authority over unclean spirits- and the ability to cure disease and illness. He sends them out with one simple task- to proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is at hand for them. What’s more is that He calls each of them by name as He sends them out as well. With this calling and commission, they go forward and they minister to the people.
What are we to take away from all of these messages though? While it seems like there are a lot of different ways we could go- where is our Lord leading us today? We could first start with the most obvious- there is a sort of missionary call that is being placed before the disciples, and perhaps we are to engage in the same. Jesus notices all of the work to be done, and so He sends the disciples out to do just that, and to proclaim that very simple message: the kingdom of Heaven is at hand! That is a work that is important and essential to what Jesus is doing Himself, and He sends the disciples out to do that very same work! Should we do the same? Perhaps we could do just that! We could grab onto the greatest and deepest theological insights that we think are important and then we start to throw those out there for all the people to hear. Perhaps we add a couple of quotes from the saints and a few powerful paragraphs from the Catechism. While all of these initiatives are great- they likely aren’t the only thing that will be needed to do this work of evangelization.
The second part that we could focus upon might be the way that Jesus gives them this powerful commission and instruction in the very last line of the Gospel today: without cost you have received, without cost you are to give. We are getting closer to something of our own experience of faith- and there is an undertone here that this too is very essential in what the disciples are doing. So He reminds them that they do have one of the first callings that Jesus has given. Yet, that isn’t just something for them to receive themselves but it is also something for them to go out and give freely as well. So, He sends them forward to give their own experience of the faith, and to tell the world about what He has personally taught them and how He has given them insight into the scriptures and into His teachings as well.
Yet, it seems that there is a common thread that wants to tie all of these things together in all reality. Let’s go back to that very first line of the Gospel- At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’s heart was moved with pity for them, because they were troubled and abandoned. Notice- this is something that is rather unusual, or perhaps even something we may not think all that often about. How much does our God love us? We see a direct perspective on it when we hear about Jesus looking out on the crowd. He saw the ways that they were floundering, the ways that they were troubled and afraid, and the ways that they were seeking strong leadership when none was being offered to them. So, they really and truly wanted something more. Jesus sees this, and He is not indifferent to this reality, but He wants to reach out to them, and to draw them back. So He sends out His disciples, not because He Himself will be absent, but because He wants as many people as possible to know about the love that their Savior has for them.
This could all be summed up in a singular question- do you believe that your God loves you? Now this might seem an absurd question, but it is important, because so many times in life things can threaten us and often make us question that very reality. Does our Lord love us? Perhaps we have been on the down and out of life, or we have been given more than we can handle. Maybe we have been calling out to the Lord in prayer, and it seems that He isn’t answering. Does our Lord, in fact, still love us?
Yes, yes He does. My brothers and sisters, the reality of what we are being taught today is that our Lord does very much love us in so many ways. He wants us to be reassured of this, and not just for the moments when we can feel this, but especially in the moments that we might not. No matter who we are and no matter where we go, we should always be aware of this fact- and we should be able to evangelize out of it and be vulnerable with it as well.
We have seen and felt so many different ways that others love us, whether it is in our friends, family members, perhaps even our mom and dad. Nonetheless, our God comes to us with the same, and He wants us to be reassured and to truly feel that love that He has for each and every one of us in a deep, abiding, and personal way.
