Things to talk about:

• Why do you think Jesus is moved with pity for the crowds?
• What does Jesus mean when he says, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few”?
• Jesus appoints the apostles to help the crowds and lead others to Christ. In what way do ordained clergy (bishops, priests, deacons) help and lead people to Christ today?
• How has God’s love been abundant in your life?

Things to do:

• In this Gospel, Jesus sent out the twelve to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This week, proclaim the good news of Jesus to someone you don’t know. Ask the Lord to send someone to you that has an open heart and is ready to receive the good news.
• Jesus appoints the twelve Apostles to carry on his mission. What do you know about the Apostles? Do some research, click HERE (scroll to Tic-Tac Know Game) and HERE for ideas. Memorize their names using acronyms like PBJ5 STAMP (Peter, Bartholomew, James, James, Jude, Judas, John, Simon, Thomas, Andrew, Matthew, Philip)
• Discuss/reflect which task seems more impossible—for the twelve Apostles to go out and preach and heal and bring people back to God’s way, or for today’s church members to go out and preach and heal and bring a modern people back to God’s way? In today’s world, how would you go about following Jesus’ instructions to his apostles? How can we “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, [and] drive out demons”?

Closing Prayer

Prayer for Discerning a Vocation

How does God want you to labor in His vineyard? Pray for clarity in discerning your vocation.

Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you. But of them all, there is one especially by which you want me to come to you. Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: into my mind, to show me what you want of me; into my heart, to give me the determination to do it, and to do it with all my love, with all my mind, and with all of my strength right to the end. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen

From https://www.usccb.org/prayers/…

Name anyone who needs prayer, reply, “Lord, hear our prayers.”  Close with the Sign of the Cross.     

Catholic Insight

Jesus shares his mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven with his disciples. The signs of the kingdom’s presence consist of the work that Jesus has been doing: the sick are cured, lepers are cleansed, demons are driven out, and the dead are raised to life. This is a moment of transition in Matthew’s Gospel. The focus shifts from the ministry of Jesus to the work of the community. More than any other Gospel, Matthew’s Gospel focuses on the work of the Church, which is to continue after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Many scholars believe that the twelve disciples symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel to show continuity between Israel and the Church.

Matthew lists the names of the twelve disciples, as do Mark and Luke. Matthew also uses the word apostle when referring to the Twelve. The word apostle means “one who is sent.” Matthew is calling attention to the mission that the twelve disciples are being given. They are sent by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of heaven in word and actions.

As Jesus sent his disciples to continue his work and mission, so too the Church is sent by Jesus. The Church is his continuing presence on earth. Every member of the Church is sent by Jesus to contribute to this mission and announce the kingdom of heaven is here.