Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Friends,

When Jesus looks at the crowds, He does not see a mass of people. He sees faces, stories, wounds, longings. He sees each person as someone infinitely loved by the Father.

The Gospel says that He was moved with compassion because they were “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9). Before Jesus sends the apostles out, He first allows His heart to be touched by the people. Mission begins not with a strategy but with compassion.

Many of us spend our lives wondering whether anyone truly sees us. We can feel surrounded by people and yet deeply alone. This Gospel reveals a beautiful truth: Christ sees us completely. He knows our struggles, our hidden fears, our disappointments, and our hopes. And His first response is not judgment but loving compassion.

Then Jesus does something surprising. He calls ordinary men and sends them to continue His own mission. The apostles are not chosen because they are extraordinary; they become extraordinary because they allow themselves to be loved and sent by Him.

The same is true for us. First you are someone looked upon with compassion and then someone entrusted with a mission. The wounds we have received can become places through which God’s mercy reaches others.

Today, perhaps the Lord asks us two questions:

- Where in my life do I need to allow myself to be seen by the compassionate gaze of Christ?

- Who around me is longing to experience, through me, that same compassion?

The harvest is still plentiful because human hearts still hunger for meaning, love, forgiveness, and hope.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me experience Your compassionate gaze upon my life. Heal what is wounded, strengthen what is weak, and make me a witness of Your mercy. May those who encounter me discover that they are seen, known, and loved by You. Amen.

Fr. Remi Morales
Pastor