11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
14th June 2026
Lectionary Readings: Ex. 19:2-6; Ps. 100:1-3.5; Rom. 5:6-11; Matt. 9:36 -10:8.
Theme: God’s plan of love
After all our great feasts stretching from Easter to Corpus Christi, we now turn to Ordinary Time and are presented with Jesus spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom (v. 35 which needed to have been included) and choosing his successors, the Apostles and giving them the Charter of the Apostolate. Israel was made up of twelve tribes; the kingdom of Jesus was to have twelve founders (see Mt 19:28; Rev 21:12-14): the “Twelve” or the “apostles.” The latter is a Greek word (plural) meaning “those who are sent”; Jesus himself chose the term (Lk 6:13).
We turn to our first reading from Exodus and see how Matthew had this in mind when he was describing Jesus choosing his Apostles. The entire past of Israel converges on the event at Sinai. The call of Abraham and the deliverance from the Egyptian yoke show God’s intention for his people and they gradually realize what God’s call is. The time has come for that people to respond to the divine preferences. The Covenant is not a contract between equals, in which offer and response are on the same level; rather, the initiative is entirely the Lord’s. Israel does, however, have an obligation to agree to the “salvation” offered to it and to express a desire to commit itself to fidelity to the law of the Lord. The text of the Covenant will be Israel’s religious and social constitution. Here we see a people taken from among the nations and consecrated to God (Isa 61:6; 1 Pet 2:5-9; Rev 1:6)
In the Gospel and the first reading we see Jesus and God choosing a group of people to be their Message to the world. We read in Matthew 9: 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were distressed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. In Exodus 19: 5-6 the LORD tells Moses to tell the people: Now, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession from among all the peoples, for the entire earth is mine. You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me.
How does Paul in the reading to the Romans explain God’s great plan for humankind? He says in Romans 5:6: Thus, God proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
What is our response to our call out of such great love? Psalm 100:
A psalm of thanksgiving.
Acclaim the Lord with joy, all the earth;
2 serve the Lord with gladness;
enter his presence with songs of joy.
3 Proclaim that the Lord is God.
He made us and we are his possession;
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.
for the Lord is good.
His kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness is constant to all generations.
Reflection: Does my heart sing Psalm 100 in Thanksgiving for God’s great plan of love through Jesus?
Bibliography: Notes and quotations taken from www.biblegateway.com New Catholic Bible (NCB)
This week’s Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Bernadette Teresa Chellew, KZN, South Africa, Bat Kol Alumna 2008
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