FIRST READING
“He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry.”
A reading from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 30:19-21.23-26)
Thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: Yes, O people in Zion who dwell at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your flock will be given pasture, and the lamb will graze in open fields; and the oxen and the donkeys that till the ground will eat salted food, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And upon every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the hurt of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
The word of the Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm147: 1-2.3-4.5-6 (R. Isaiah 30: 18)
R/. Blessed are all those who wait for the Lord.
Or: Alleluia.
How good to sing psalms to our God;
how pleasant to chant fitting praise!
The Lord builds up Jerusalem
and brings back Israel’s exiles. R.
He heals the broken-hearted;
he binds up all their wounds.
He counts out the number of the stars;
he calls each one by its name. R.
Our Lord is great and almighty;
His wisdom can never be measured.
The Lord lifts up the lowly;
He casts down the wicked to the ground. R.
ALLELUIA Isaiah 33:22
Alleluia. Alleluia. The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our ruler, the Lord is our king: he will save us. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
“When he mw the crowds, he had compassion for them.”
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 9:35-10:1.5a.6-8)
At that time: Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When he 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; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Today’s Reflection
The prophet Isaiah tries to assure us today that God has not given up on us, and that if we come back to God and remain with him, he will wipe our tears and make us prosper in the Land. God’s compassion for us is so enormous that it moves him to carry our troubles all by himself (cfm t 9:35 – 10:1). Remember that in order to benefit from that, we must wait for him. Waiting for him means repenting of our sins and trusting in God. As you wait for the Lord, may he dry your tears and take care of your troubles so that your songs would be that of joy at the victory won. Amen.