Was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned

8 JULY (Mt 9,32-38)

Jesus feels the weight of humanity that the Father put on his shoulders. Even if He is the perfect and true God, he is also a perfect and true man. Having to redeem, save, comfort, console and give rest to all men, he feels the non possibility of being able to carry out such a vast, universal, plenary and global task. Besides, no man, even the most perfect, the most holy, the most eager, the most filled with the Holy Spirit – no one will ever be so complete and perfect as Lord Jesus – might ever succeed. The one can never stand the multitude. He is finished, the multitude is almost endless.

What to do so that everyone who is sent for the salvation of the multitude, can carry out in truth this ministry of compassion and pity? The way is one: asking the Lord to send many more labourers into his harvest, so that with him, not without him, against him, they carry out his same ministry. That is how St. Peter expresses this truth in the Book of Acts: “Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection.” So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven apostles” (At 1,21-26).

Today, there is much talk of a crisis of vocations. If there is a crisis of vocations, there is also a crisis of prayer. If there is a crisis of prayer, there is a crisis of ministerial conscience. If there is a crisis of ministerial conscience it is a sign that the minister of the Gospel does not know what his responsibility is, does not know the burden that weighs on his shoulders. He ignores that the salvation of the world is placed on him. Living of guilty ignorance, he omits the prayer, does not ask that other workers are to be aroused to be of help and support to him. But this is not the real crisis of vocations. The real crisis is that everyone works without the other, against the others, ignoring the others, denigrating the others, spiritually killing the others. Until we do not live together with others and we will not be a single ministerial body and never we will be able to carry out our mission with fruit.

As they were going out, a demoniac who could not speak was brought to him, and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest.”

Jesus associates the Twelve to himself. He added other seventy-two disciples to them. He associates them so that they form with Him, through Him, in Him one missionary body. No various bodies scattered in the world against each other, each separated from the other, one without the other. The scandal of the Church, of Christianity is right this: one is separated from the other. The various Christian denominations start. The ones are separated from the others. In every religious denomination arise factions, cordates, divisions, separations, lacerations, contrasts and oppositions. The communion, unity, staying together requires the denial of our thoughts, our personal truths, every personal opinion, our very hearts. If necessary, we must give communion even our physical and not just the spiritual martyrdom. The unity is very demanding and only who can knows how to deny himself at every moment, before every other person, might be an instrument of communion. However, where sin reigns, division will always reign. It is always the result of evil.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints free us from all sin.