HOMILY FOR THE 11TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.
THEME: A Compassion that Compels Action.
BY: Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa, MA.
Today is Father’s Day. I wish that every father will experience love, joy, and laughter on this Father’s Day. Best wishes for today and always, dear dads. We promise to remember you in our prayers today. Happy Father’s Day!
Our gospel reading (Matthew 9:36–10:8) for today invites us to reflect on the themes of compassion and vocation. What a beautiful coincidence that on Father’s Day we are called to reflect on compassion! Perhaps God wants not only our fathers but all of us to be as compassionate as he is (Luke 6:36).
In the first part of our gospel passage, the evangelist Matthew writes: “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Interestingly, Matthew uses the Greek verb “splagchnizomai,” which literally means “to be moved as to one’s bowels,” to express the feeling of Jesus at the condition of the crowd. And the verb “splagchnizomai” comes from the noun “splagchna,” which means “bowels”—literally, the innards in your belly.
In the ancient world, it was believed that the most intense feelings originated in the belly. For them, “guts” did not mean “courage,” but depth of feeling. So, “Splagchna” is the seat of the deepest emotions—an emotion that moves a person to act.
In other words, Jesus was moved to the very depths of his being by the situation of the crowds to save them. The action of Jesus when he saw the crowd is against the claim in some quarters that God is “apatheia,” which means “incapability of feeling” or “emotionless.” But that is not the God who is revealed in the person of Jesus. Jesus is moved to the very depths of his being by the plight of his children.
As Saint Teresa of Avila puts it, we are the eyes with which Jesus looks with compassion on his children; we are the feet with which Jesus walks to do good; we are the hands with which Jesus blesses his children; and we are the hands and feet of Christ. That is what it means to see the children of God as Jesus sees them, with compassion.
In the second part of our gospel passage, the evangelist Matthew writes that “Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness” (Matthew 10:1).
Matthew uses the verb “proskaleō”—”to call to oneself”—to describe the summoning of the twelve. “Proskaleō” calls to mind Viktor Frankl’s distinction between vocation and ambition (a career). Frankl’s distinction gives an insight into why Jesus first called the disciples to himself before sending them forth.
According to Viktor Frankl, “man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life.” If we can’t find the meaning we’re looking for, it can cause us psychological disturbances like apathy, depression, and even anger.
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However, vocation—not ambition—is what drives man’s search for meaning. While ambition originates from within, which is the self, vocation derives from something external and greater than the self.
Frankl concludes that being human is a vocation. Being human is always about something or someone other than oneself: a purpose to achieve, another person to encounter, a cause to work for, or a person to love.
So, it makes sense that Jesus summons his twelve disciples before sending them forth. He calls them to himself to instruct them, give meaning to their lives, and become the reference for their evangelization.
Jesus is the source and summit of every true vocation. He is the one who gives meaning to every vocation. It is only when we have Jesus as the foundation of our vocation that we are sent forth to go and serve Jesus by loving his brothers and sisters.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen articulated eloquently in three words the rhythm of the Christian life and vocation: “Come and go!” In other words, God summons us and then sends us forth.
Dear friends, recognize that Jesus has called you to himself through the Word and Sacraments. Jesus now asks that you allow yourself to “be moved as to our bowels” at the sight and plight of the impoverished, marginalized, and suffering in your midst. He desires that you serve his children with compassion, mercy, and love. Happy Sunday and happy Father’s Day!
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