Sunday 14 June 2026
Today is Sunday the 14th of June, beginning the 11th week of Ordinary Time.
Eliza King and Rich Dicas sing, ‘Lord, I Love You More’.
I love my family
And I love this life that you’ve given me
But Lord, I love you more
I love the feeling of home
And I love the safety of places I am known
But still, I love you more
Lord, I love you more
At the end of the day
It’ll be your face I see
When I’ve finished running my race
I will be falling at Your feet
Singing You’ve been worth it all
You are worth it all
I want my life to count
And to know I’ve made an impact somehow
But Lord, I want you more
And I want to work and achieve
To enjoy the comfort it brings to me
But still, I want you more
Lord, I want you morе
At the end of the day
It’ll bе your face I see
When I’ve finished running my race
I will be falling at Your feet
Singing You’ve been worth it all
You are worth it all
Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 9:36-10:8
When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.’
Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, he was moved with compassion. It’s out of that compassion that his whole mission flows. As you look at the world around you, what do you see when you look with the eyes of Jesus? What crowds or situations move you with compassion?
Jesus sends out the twelve with a remarkable instruction: ‘You received without payment; give without payment.’ The gifts they have been given: healing, freedom, good news, are for sharing freely. What gifts do you feel you have received from God, and how do you feel called to share them with those around you?
As the reading is repeated, notice what words or images stay with you. Perhaps it is the image of the harvest, of the sheep without a shepherd, or of the signs of the kingdom. What is God saying to you through this passage?
Matthew 9:36-10:8
When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.’
The twelve were ordinary people of very different backgrounds and temperaments, yet Jesus called and sent each one of them. He calls and sends us too. Take time now to speak to him about your own sense of being called – what gives you courage, or makes you hesitant, and what you most need from him to serve as he invites.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be
World without end
