Matthew 10:1-7 NRSVue
1Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2These 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; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’,
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Reflection on Matthew 10:1-7
Inspiration from 2025-07-09 Daily Prayer
In the presence of Jesus, as he walked among us, the kingdom of God came near to us. He still walks with us and invites us to be his eyes, his hands, his voice and his feet to bring to others the Good News of the kingdom. Let us pray the Prayer of St Teresa of Avila: ‘Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassionately on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. You are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Amen.’
Further reflection
You called the apostles by name, Lord, and you call me too: Nelly or Nuala, Tim or Tom. For me too you have a mission. To be your follower is to bring good news, to lift the spirits of those I meet.
Help me, Lord, to be a source of blessings, to leave others more contented and hopeful than I found them.
Their names are still known – some of the most ordinary people of Galilee, a small place itself in a small country. Our names are in that list, in the mind of God and in the book of life. Called like them, we are partners with Jesus in the salvation of the world, in whatever corner of the globe we may find ourselves. In word and life we try to let others know that the kingdom of heaven and the love of God are very near.
The kingdom of heaven, or the reign of God, is near in the preaching and teaching of Jesus. It is near as something he brings, and as something we bring. We pray daily that his kingdom will come. How can I bring this reign of God alive in the world today? In the world where evil can easily reign, the reign of God comes only through people who believe strongly in the goodness of God's message in Jesus.
As I read this list of the apostles, I think of my name among them. I pray that I may accept the trust that Jesus has in me.