Daily Reflection

Reflection for December 6, 2025

Mission and Compassion

In this passage from the Gospel of Matthew, we witness a pivotal moment in the life of Christ and in the birth of the Church’s mission. The scene opens with the heart of Jesus, moved with pity for the crowds who were “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Here, we are invited to gaze upon the very core of our faith: the compassionate love of God, made visible in His Son. Jesus doesn’t merely feel a passing sympathy; His pity is a deep, gut-wrenching compassion that compels action. He sees our human condition—our confusion, our weariness, our spiritual hunger—and His response is to teach, to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, and to heal.

This divine compassion is not meant to remain locked within the heart of Christ. It overflows. The harvest is abundant, Jesus declares, but the laborers are few. And so, He does something remarkable: He summons His twelve disciples and gives them “authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.” He shares His own mission, His own authority, with ordinary, fallible men. This is the pattern of our Catholic faith: the love we receive from the Sacred Heart of Jesus is not for hoarding, but for sharing. The Church is born apostolic—sent forth.

“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Jesus’ initial instruction might seem limiting, but it reveals a profound spiritual truth. The mission begins at home, in the familiar places, among the people closest to God’s covenant. For us, this is a call to evangelize first within our own hearts, our families, our parishes, and our communities. Before we can reach distant shores, we must be a witness to the love of Christ right where we are. How often do we overlook the “lost sheep” in our own homes, workplaces, or pews—those who are lonely, struggling in faith, or feeling abandoned?

The message they—and we—are to proclaim is simple yet world-altering: “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is not a distant promise but a present reality. In the person of Jesus Christ, God’s reign of love, mercy, and justice has broken into our world. Our mission is to make that Kingdom visible through our actions.

And what are those actions? The Lord is strikingly specific: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” For the Apostles, this was a literal mandate, empowered by Christ’s own authority. For us, it takes on a spiritual and corporal dimension. We are called to:

Cure the sick: By offering comfort, prayer, and practical help to those suffering in body, mind, or spirit.

Raise the dead: By bringing hope to those dead in despair, and by leading souls out of the death of sin through witness to God’s mercy.

Cleanse lepers: By reaching out to those marginalized, excluded, or burdened by shame, and restoring them to the community with dignity and love.

Drive out demons: By rejecting the culture of death, hatred, and lies, and by bringing Christ’s light into the darkness of the world through prayer and virtuous living.

Finally, Jesus gives the foundational principle of Christian ministry: “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Everything we have—our faith, our talents, our very existence—is an unmerited gift from God. We are not owners, but stewards. Our ministry, therefore, must be marked by generosity, not calculation; by grace, not transaction. We give freely because we have been so freely and abundantly loved.

A Prayer for Mission:

Lord Jesus, Shepherd of our souls,
Your heart was moved with pity for the scattered crowd.
You have called me by name and shared with me the mission of Your love.
Help me to see the world with Your eyes of compassion.
Send me, as You sent the Apostles, first to those nearest to me.
Empower me to proclaim by word and deed that Your Kingdom is here.
Make my hands instruments of Your healing, my words bearers of Your hope, and my heart a vessel of Your gratuitous love.
For I have received all from You, and I desire to give all for You.
Mary, Mother of the Church, who pondered all things in your heart, teach me to receive God’s gift and to give it freely to the world.
Amen.