I have on numerous occasions through my on personal journey of faith been led, asked or tasked to take either the lead, consulted on or simply to run with what I would term spiritual matters of faith. From helping out in the Eucharistic Celebration in a variety of ways wearing different hats, to giving a formation talk at a RCIA session, a youth event, parish event, to being part of a prayer team to pray over others, to planning for a retreat or faith event, leading a prayer session or prayer meeting and so on. Was I qualified or experienced enough when I was first called upon? My answer would be NO! I simply said Yes to the call then would quietly panic as I asked for the Lord’s guidance on how to proceed. Often times just going with the flow, that is the flow of the Holy Spirit. Learning from making mistakes, allowing Him to teach and guide me so that I might grow a little more each day in wisdom and knowledge.
Trusting the Lord fully and surrendering our Will to Him so that He can lead us deeper in our faith journey is very difficult for almost everyone. Because whether we want to admit or not, most of us are control freaks and need to be familiar with a subject, topic before we will attempt to take the leapt to take charge or move with it. Hence if we were going for a retreat we want to know what to be prepared for, what to bring, the schedule, what are the topics covered before we will consider going. How then are we ever going to learn to trust the Lord to take the lead? How then are we going to proclaim to anyone that the Kingdom of the Lord our God is at hand, or simply to tell a stranger that Jesus loves him or her when we are too busy counting the cost of doing anything for Him!
We have received abundant blessings and graces freely from the Lord our God, how can we not serve Him and our brethren freely without counting the cost of doing so. In fact the best graces to be received through servitude of our Lord Jesus Christ and our brethren are purchased through sacrifice and suffering. Amen
First reading
Genesis 44:18-21,23-29,45:1-5
Joseph reveals himself to his brothers
Judah went up to Joseph and said, ‘May it please my lord, let your servant have a word privately with my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord questioned his servants, “Have you father or brother?” And we said to my lord, “We have an old father, and a younger brother born of his old age. His brother is dead, so he is the only one left of his mother, and his father loves him.” Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.” But you said to your servants, “If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not be admitted to my presence again.” When we went back to your servant my father, we repeated to him what my lord had said. So when our father said, “Go back and buy us a little food,” we said, “We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot be admitted to the man’s presence unless our youngest brother is with us.” So your servant our father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two children. When one left me, I said that he must have been torn to pieces. And I have not seen him to this day. If you take this one from me too and any harm comes to him, you will send me down to Sheol with my white head bowed in misery.” If I go to your servant my father now, and we have not the boy with us, he will die as soon as he sees the boy is not with us, for his heart is bound up with him. Then your servants will have sent your servant our father down to Sheol with his white head bowed in grief.’
Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.
Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.’
Gospel
Matthew 10:7-15
You received without charge: give without charge
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep.
‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.’
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