Commentary on the Gospel of
Sat 9th First Reading: Is 30:19–21, 23 – 26 ; Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147:1–2, 3–4, 5–6; Gospel Reading: Matthew 9:35-10:1,6-8
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”; Nobody could have said this more properly then Jesus. He had in front of him the whole world to construct the Kingdom of God. Just he and his disciples and even they were not all faithful. In spite of this, he sends them with full powers, even that of raising the dead. The Kingdom of God, that is life in fullness. Jesus shows he knows his project and which are the means to achieve it.
In the Old Testament the prophets also made great promises, as we heard in the reading: “in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more … your Teacher will not hide himself anymore”. The Lord knows what his people need, the gospel says that Jesus had compassion “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”
What the world needs more is not an amount of nourishment, a place to live, technics to provide solutions. Our world needs a way, a direction, a unanimous will to overcome the selfish thinking, the enmities, the abysmal differences between and among peoples. The world needs the first priority to be the human being, its dignity, its urgencies of development to become responsive to God’s project. This project is great, immense, and it seems that few believe it is possible to make it come true. An over-human impulse is needed, a faith that moves mountains. It needs much more than an idea.
Ordering his disciples to give food to the multitude, Jesus signals that nobody has to be excluded. They are all invited to sit at the table of God’s kingdom. We are all invited to nourish ourselves with the bread shared among the members of the family of God. We are called to make our life become the big feast of brothers and sisters in the house of our Father God. The doors always have to be open, especially to the poor, the excluded by the society, those who need to experience that God loves them and wants that no one weakens along the way. The Kingdom of God is for all, and it shall be realised with the engagement and participation of us all.
