ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Year A

Readings

First Reading
Ex 19:2–6a

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 100:1–2, 3, 5

Second Reading
Rom 5:6–11

Gospel
Mt 9:36—10:8

Meditation on Today’s Readings

Taken from the Vatican II Sunday and Weekday Missal
Written by Celia Sirois

Today’s readings sound the theme of divine election, i.e., God’s choice of Israel and of us. The familiar passage from Exodus is the preamble to the great covenant-making event on Mount Sinai. In these verses God makes an overture. The people of Israel have already experienced God’s initiative on their behalf in their divinely driven Exodus from Egypt. But if they are to be God’s cherished possession, they must freely ratify God’s choice of them. God does not want puppets but partners in a relationship of mutual respect. In the Gospel, too, a group is selected and set apart to be partners in Jesus’ ministry. However, the text is carefully structured to make clear that they have been chosen by God. Moved by the enormity of the work to be done, Jesus does not immediately recruit the twelve disciples. Rather, he tells them to ask God to send laborers. So, when he later summons them, it is as though God has answered their prayer.

The text from Romans is a meditation on the death of Jesus, the cost of God’s choice of us. Like Israel, we too have been ransomed, but at what price!

The copyright for the Sunday Missal Introductions is:
Copyright (c) 2001, Daughters of St. Paul
The copyright for the Weekday Missal Introduction is:
Copyright (c) 2002, Daughters of St. Paul