[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible study podcast. Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, June 14, 2026, the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
[00:00:24] This week's episode is entitled: Laborers for Love. And in this week's Gospel, Jesus tells us that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; that we should ask the Father to send more laborers to gather his harvest. So, we should absolutely pray for that, but is there something more that we can do?
As we journey through these readings, consider the following:
If we are God's people, as this week's Psalm assures us that we are… if we have been reconciled to the Father, as Saint Paul assures us we have been… if we have been saved by Jesus… it seems like we should already be laborers in God's vineyard. Laborers sent out, in love, to spread the message of God's love and mercy. So, what are we waiting for?
[00:01:31] Let's begin in prayer:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Heavenly Father, through the life, Death, and Resurrection of your beloved Son, we have been reconciled to you, and we have a place prepared for us in your kingdom. But since our labors here in this life are not yet complete, we ask you to send even more laborers to help us accomplish the task you set before us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[00:02:08] Now that we've opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures.
[00:02:13] Our Gospel this week is from Matthew 9:36 – 10:8.
[00:02:23] “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 laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers 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. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb’edee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphae’us, and Thaddae’us; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather 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.’”
[00:04:10] This week we not only return to the regular numbered Sundays in Ordinary Time, we also return to the Gospel of Matthew and - as we do - we enter a point in the narrative where Jesus is traveling in and around the Sea of Galilee, healing a lot of people: a leper, people who were paralyzed, the blind, the mute, even Peter's mother-in-law!
[00:04:42] Set against that backdrop, Jesus teaches the disciples about their mission, then he bestows upon a subset of his disciples - the Twelve - a share of his own divine authority and then sends them out… thereby transforming them from disciples to Apostles. Because remember, disciple means one who is called, while apostle means one who is sent.
[00:05:21] By the end of this passage, the Twelve are sent out to do the work Jesus has assigned to them… they are to accomplish the mission he set before them. But… were they really ready to do that? Probably not, but that is often the case.
[00:05:44] We can, and should, ask ourselves that same question… are we ready to take up the mission Jesus has set before us? We've had a lot more time to listen to and study the words of Jesus than the Apostles did when they were first sent out. And yet we may still not think we're ready. Jesus, however, often has other plans.
[00:06:10] So, regardless of how prepared or unprepared we may feel, let's dive into what Jesus has to say to us this week…
[00:06:20] “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless,”
[00:06:30] The NAB translates that a bit differently. It says the crowds were “troubled and abandoned.” No matter how those words are translated, the crowds were…
“like sheep without a shepherd.”
Meaning that they were lost… they had no good leaders able to guide them to the truth. And the Old Testament made some very specific observations about shepherds.
[00:07:03] Psalm 23 promised one human shepherd who will care for the sheep - as God's servant, on God's behalf. Then in chapter 34 of Ezekiel (the entire chapter, as a matter of fact), Ezekiel compared the leaders of Israel to bad shepherds who take care of themselves while ignoring their flocks, but Ezekiel also says that God is the true shepherd who will gather together, protect, and care for his flock.
[00:07:41] Now, historically, Ezekiel lived after King David, so we read that text as a Messianic promise and - from the Jewish perspective - assume that Ezekiel is talking about the restoration of the Davidic monarchy and the reunification of Israel.
But remember, as early as the 4th century, Saint Augustine said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New… which means that we have to read the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament - we have to look at the promises recorded in the Old Testament as pointing to Jesus, who is the good shepherd gathering his people.
[00:08:41] “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;’”
[00:08:48] Those words are found in both Matthew and Luke. And what Jesus means is that the crowds are responding enthusiastically to his message, but there are no good leaders to reap the spiritual harvest being generated. The Jewish religious authorities don't see Jesus as the Messiah, they disregard his teachings, and are disdainful of his actions, therefore, they are not good leaders.
[00:09:23] Unfortunately, that sentiment has echoed down through the centuries… there are always bad leaders - both in the secular world and in various faith traditions - and the Catholic Church has certainly had her share of bad leaders.
[00:09:43] Thankfully, we have had amazing leaders in recent history and Pope Leo is demonstrating tremendous courage as he continues to speak the truth of the Gospel to the world.
[00:09:59] But when there are bad leaders, it is up to those of us in the flock to decide whether we will follow leaders that are faithful to the Gospel or faithful only to themselves.
[00:10:19] Then Jesus instructs the disciples to…
“pray therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
[00:10:29] In this instance, the answer to the prayer for more laborers will become a subset of the disciples - the Twelve. They may not have felt they were fully prepared to take up the mission Jesus set before them, but nevertheless, that's what they did.
[00:10:48] The same can be said of us… we are already Jesus’ disciples, we are already faithful to the Gospel, we are as prepared as we can be to take up the mission Jesus has set before us. All that's left is for us to trust Jesus… to trust that he will be with us, just as the disciples did.
[00:11:22] “And [Jesus] called to him his twelve disciples”
In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus is established as the new Moses. Now the twelve disciples will become the basis for a new set of twelve tribes to build a new nation.
[00:11:49] “and [Jesus] gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.”
[00:11:59] Those things are precisely what they have been watching Jesus do as they have been traveling around the region of Galilee. Jesus has shown them what to do… now they are to follow his example.
Sound familiar? We just heard that on Holy Thursday.
[00:12:21] And in order to accomplish their work - their labors - Jesus gives the Twelve a sharing of his own divine authority.
[00:12:36] “The names of the twelve apostles are these:”
[00:12:40] Notice Matthew now calls them Apostles - because Apostles are sent. And who are these Apostles?
[00:12:50] “first, Simon, who is called Peter,”
And Simon Peter is not only named first in this list, he also ranks first in importance among the Apostles. He held primacy among his fellow Apostles… just as the Pope holds primacy in the Church today.
[00:13:15] After Peter is…
“Andrew his brother; James the son of Zeb’edee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphae’us and Thaddae’us; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”
[00:13:43] A thorough study of all four Gospels tells us that the Apostles were a diverse group… among them were a zealot (which is another term for a nationalist or a revolutionary), a tax collector who had worked for the Roman occupiers, there were men who were professional fishermen, men of Greek origin, men who were local to the region of Galilee and men who were not, but who were all - at that time - united in following Jesus. But notice how Judas is introduced by Matthew. Remember, Matthew didn't write his Gospel until about 85 AD and by then Judas' betrayal of Jesus had been a bitter reality that all of the Apostles were forced to live with for decades.
[00:14:50] We often think only of the betrayal that Jesus endured at the hands of Judas, which was a betrayal like no other.
[00:15:01] But how harsh that betrayal must have been for the other Apostles as well. Judas had been one of them… he traveled with them for three years, he ate and drank with them, he shared their mission… until he didn't.
[00:15:29] But at this point in time, the Twelve are excited, enthusiastic, eager, and probably a bit uncertain. Just as we often are when we face a new undertaking.
[00:15:50] “These Twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”
[00:16:08] In other words, they are to limit their ministry to the people of Israel… for now. Which clearly illustrates God's faithfulness to his Chosen People.
[00:16:21] The Apostles will now be serving as laborers in God's vineyard… as deputized shepherds, so to speak, doing what Israel's religious leaders should have been doing but were not.
“And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
[00:16:47] Those are the same words spoken by John the Baptist in Matthew 3 and by Jesus himself in Matthew 4… meaning that God's reign is near, that it is accessible, that it is - in fact - made present in the person of Jesus. And it remains in our midst in the Church today through the Eucharist. And what specifically are the Twelve to do?
[00:17:28] “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.”
[00:17:35] Jesus tells them that they are to do what they have seen him do. He has specifically shared his divine authority with them, enabling them to accomplish what he has set before them.
[00:17:56] Then Jesus sends them off with one final instruction…
“You received without pay, give without pay.”
[00:18:08] The Apostles have been taught by Jesus freely, at no monetary cost to them.
[00:18:17] Make no mistake - these men left behind homes, businesses, jobs, families (there were absolutely personal costs involved in their discipleship) - but they did not pay Jesus any money to be his disciples.
[00:18:37] So, they are - in turn - told to share the wealth of knowledge they have received with others just as freely. And when the Gospel is shared, it is never diminished!
[00:18:57] Like grace, like light, like love… when we share the good things God gives to us, they grow and produce an abundant harvest.
[00:19:17] Now it's up to us… like the Twelve, we too are sent out to accomplish a mission Jesus has entrusted to us. It is up to us to spread the Gospel message and the love of God to others.
[00:19:38] So, what are we waiting for?
[00:19:41] That takes us to our First Reading, which is from Exodus 19: 2-6a.
[00:19:50] “[In those days,] when [the Sons of Israel] set out from Reph’idim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel and camped before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’”
[00:20:51] In verse one of chapter 19, we are told that it is now the third new moon since the Hebrews left Egypt, meaning that it has been three months since that first Passover. It has taken the Hebrews three months to journey out of Egypt and arrive - finally - at Mount Sinai. The wilderness of Sinai, mentioned in this passage, is traditionally identified as the southern portion of the Sinai Peninsula. And Rephidim, one particular stop along the way during their journey, is noteworthy because that's where the Hebrews defeated the Amalekites in battle. If we look back at Exodus 17, that's where we read that when Moses held up his arms, the Sons of Israel had the advantage in battle, but when his arms grew tired and dropped the Amalekites had the advantage… that is the battle that took place at Rephidim and where the Hebrews eventually defeated the Amalekites.
I will include a map of the Sinai Peninsula on my Instagram this week showing the location of both Mount Sinai and Rephidim.
Now, I also have to qualify that a bit… Mount Sinai is typically identified as Jebel Musa (or the Mount of Moses), but that location is debated by some modern archaeologists, as is the traditional location of Rephidim. I have neither the time nor the inclination to dive fully into that debate here, nor does it really matter for our purposes, just be aware that the traditional locations attributed to those biblical sites are the subject of no little debate among modern biblical archaeologists.
[00:23:10] So, let's explore what happens when the Hebrews reach Mount Sinai…
“[In those days,]”
[00:23:18] Remember that this is three months after that first Passover in Egypt.
“when [the Sons of Israel] set out from Reph’idim”
After defeating the Amalekites in battle.
“and came into the wilderness of Sinai,”
That southern portion of the Sinai Peninsula.
[00:23:44] “they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.”
The mountain, of course, is Mount Sinai. And not only did the Hebrews make camp there… they spent the next 11 months in that location.
[00:24:08] “And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain,”
[00:24:15] So, the very first thing that happens after the Hebrews make camp is that God speaks privately to Moses.
“saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel:’”
[00:24:35] In other words, God is telling Moses that his primary role is to be God's mediator to the people. And the house of Jacob is simply one way of saying the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who became the namesakes of the twelve tribes… so, the house of Jacob, the twelve tribes, the Hebrews, the Chosen People, the Israelites, the Jews, the Sons of Israel - those are all different names for the same wider group of people.
[00:25:13] And what is it that God wants Moses to say to the people?
[00:25:19] “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”
[00:25:29] God wants Moses to remind the people of his saving deeds… the ten plagues that were visited upon Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea so the Hebrews could leave Egypt, how the Egyptians were drowned when the sea returned to its place, the manna and quail with which they were fed in the desert, the water God provided from the rock… everything God accomplished to bring his people safely out of bondage. And that's what he means by on eagles wings - God brought them safely to the base of Mount Sinai, where they could encounter God himself.
[00:26:26] Then God continues…
[00:26:28] “Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples;”
[00:26:41] Notice that statement begins with the word IF… meaning that it's provisional, that it all depends on the actions of the people. They have free will; they can choose their own path.
[00:27:03] But God wants Moses to remind them that if they want the blessings that are the result of belonging to God - of being precious to him, of being his people - then they must, in turn, be faithful and obedient.
“for all the earth is mine,”
God wants Moses to remind the people that he created everything and that everything belongs by right to him. God has already chosen the sons of Israel, the Hebrews, to be his people, but the people have free will. Therefore, it is up to them to choose God.
[00:28:04] And if they do choose God, Moses is to promise them…
“you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
[00:28:19] The covenant relationship between God and his people is intended to transform the people… God will bestow upon all the Hebrews priestly status - he will make their entire nation holy - to affirm just how precious the people are to him.
[00:28:46] He says the same thing to us!
[00:28:53] Remember, the Scriptures are living - they are God's word and they speak to us in every age… so we too are priests, we too are holy. In fact, we are anointed priest, prophet, and king at our Baptism.
[00:29:14] But we still have free will. Our Baptism doesn't take that away, which means it's still our choice.
[00:29:27] So, if we are God's people, if we belong to the Father, if we hear and obey his voice, then we have the responsibility to share that with others as laborers for love in God's vineyard.
[00:29:55] So, what exactly are we waiting for?
[00:30:00] That takes us to our Responsorial Psalm, which is Psalm 100. And the refrain is:
“We are his people: the sheep of his pasture.”
And here are the verses:
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!”
“Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
“For the LORD is good; his mercy endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
[00:30:44] This Psalm is a Call to Praise and a Hymn of Thanksgiving, inviting all lands to worship the God of Israel. This is a very short Psalm - it has only five verses in total - and we hear almost all of it. The Lectionary, however, skips verse four.
[00:31:08] In the first stanza, the Psalmist issues three invitations: to make, to serve, and to come, suggesting that this Psalm may have been part of an entrance liturgy sung when worshipers processed into the temple.
The three invitations in that first stanza are answered - in the third stanza - by three reasons why God is to be praised: for his goodness, his mercy, and his faithfulness.
[00:31:46] The second stanza, sandwiched between the other two, remind us that God made us that we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
[00:31:59] So if we are his people, it certainly seems that we should serve the Lord with gladness, as the first stanza invites us to do, meaning it's time for us to get to work as laborers in God's vineyard.
[00:32:22] That takes us to our Second Reading, which is from Romans 5: 6-11.
“[Brothers and sisters:] While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, by much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were his enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.”
[00:33:43] This is the first of 14 passages that we will hear from Romans in this section of Ordinary Time… that will take us all the way into September!
[00:33:57] Romans is the longest of all of Saint Paul's letters - that is why it appears first among his letters in the canon of the New Testament.
[00:34:09] It is an Ambassadorial Letter, meaning that Paul used it to introduce himself to an already well-established community of Christians in Rome in order to explain his theology to them - all in an attempt to convince the Romans to assist him in launching a future missionary journey to Spain… which, by the way, never took place.
[00:34:42] This letter was written toward the end of Paul's Third Missionary Journey, probably during late 57 or early 58 AD. One of the great questions that always swirls around this letter is how did a Christian community ever form in the city of Rome in the first place?
[00:35:09] That really is a bit of a mystery.
[00:35:13] After all, Rome was the imperial capital of the entire Roman Empire, it was the most densely populated city in the Mediterranean world, it was predominantly pagan, and it was notoriously corrupt.
[00:35:37] Tradition holds that Peter ministered there in the 40s to what was, even then, an already established Christian community. So, there's a lot of mystery surrounding the Christians in Rome… nevertheless, Paul was certainly willing and eager to recruit their help in extending his own ministry even further than he had already done on his own.
[00:36:08] So, let's listen to what Paul has to say…
“[Brothers and sisters:] While we were yet helpless,”
In other words, while we were still trapped in the darkness of sin.
“at the right time”
At the one time established by the Father for his plan of salvation to be accomplished.
Christ died for the ungodly.”
[00:36:42] So often we tend to think that Jesus died for us because we're good people. That's not the case… if we were such good people, Jesus would not have needed to sacrifice himself to save us.
[00:37:01] He sacrificed himself precisely because we were, and are, sinners. All of mankind, from Adam onward, we're all sinners.
[00:37:15] WE are the ungodly… WE are the ones who stand in opposition to God - not someone else – us, and not always, but often enough.
[00:37:30] So, when we hear the word ungodly - we need to stop looking around at others and remember to look in the mirror!
[00:37:40] “Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.”
[00:37:50] We have to ask ourselves why Paul differentiates a righteous man from a good man. To our modern way of thinking, we would probably assume that a righteous man was a good man… but that's not necessarily the case.
[00:38:14] A righteous man is generally a just man pursuing a good cause, but that has a lot to do with your point of view. A just man may not be a likable person… and not everyone may agree on whether or not a particular cause is a good cause.
[00:38:41] But a good person, a generous person, an ethical person, a kind person, is usually easier to identify.
[00:38:57] Paul himself would have been called righteous - both as a Pharisee and as a Christian - but he was undoubtedly difficult, stubborn, harsh, confrontational, and usually convinced that he was right about everything.
[00:39:17] I've often wondered if Paul wasn't using those words to soften any negative opinions the Romans may have already formed about him.
[00:39:29] “But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
[00:39:40] The decision to die not for good, holy people, but for sinners, shows how immense God's love for us really is… it would have been so much easier for Jesus to die for those who do not dwell in sin. But even Jesus said: “those who are well have no need of a physician” and he knows that we all stumble, we all make mistakes, we all fail…
Not always, but often enough!
“Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood,”
[00:40:26] By that, Paul means that we are put in right relation with the Father through the blood shed by Christ on the Cross.
[00:40:39] “much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
A wrath that - let's face it - mankind spent countless generations earning… God has every right to be angry with us. But his mercy is so much greater than his wrath… his love so far outweighs his righteous anger… and Jesus did save us, he opened the gates of heaven for us, he prepared a place for us in his Father's kingdom.
[00:41:33] “For if while we were enemies”
Still in our sin, still opposed to God.”
“we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”
[00:41:55] Our salvation is complex… unquestionably it was earned - once for all - by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. But it is also ongoing… in each of our individual lives, it can be put in past, present, and future terms.
[00:42:21] In PAST terms, that refers to our Baptism, when we were cleansed of our sins and united to Christ.
[00:42:31] In PRESENT terms, it refers to the gift of sanctifying grace, freely showered upon us by God, who loves us beyond anything we can ever imagine. And that sanctifying grace comes to us through the Sacraments of the Church, specifically through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which forgives the sins we have committed since Baptism, and through the sacrament of the Eucharist, which nourishes us through Christ's Body and Blood, through his living flesh.
[00:43:27] In FUTURE terms, it lies in being obedient to God, in living according to God's will, and in the hope that we will reach the place prepared for us in heaven.
[00:43:50] But just like the words God wanted Moses to relay to the Sons of Israel in our passage from Exodus - this is all sort of conditional.
[00:44:04] We have free will, we can reject God, we can turn our backs on the salvation Jesus won for us by his Death on the Cross.
[00:44:22] That's not what God wants for us, but it is our choice.
[00:44:28] That also means that we, like the Sons of Israel, must choose God.
[00:44:39] Then Paul concludes this passage with the following words…
[00:44:44] “Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.”
[00:45:00] That is a fact… that is a reality… Jesus died for us; through him we have been reconciled to the Father, and that is a cause for great rejoicing.
[00:45:22] But make no mistake, sin is a form of addiction… and we have it bad!
[00:45:33] So, it's something we must fight against - all the time.
[00:45:41] We must choose God - all the time!
[00:45:48] Exodus taught us that we are precious to God, the Psalm reminded us that we are God's people, the letter to the Romans assured us that we are saved by Jesus… and if we accept all of that, then it becomes our responsibility to spread the love we are given, the grace we receive, the goodness God showers upon us, the truth of the Gospel - the Good News of Jesus - with everyone we encounter.
[00:46:32] So, let's not wait any longer. Let's get out there and get to work as laborers for love!
[00:46:43] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at
[email protected]
Thank you for spending this time with me and until next time we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain, and may he hold you safe and secure in the palm of his hand.
From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions.
The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask.
Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved.
Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
