<p><em>So many details that we would love to know are omitted in Matthews account of Jesus life but room is made in todays passage for the names of each one of the Twelve. Our reflection suggests that this can remind us that Love calls each of us by name as well.</em></p><div class=oldwebkit>&nbsp;</div><div class=oldwebkit><p><strong>June 18 2023: Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time</strong></p><p>Exodus 19:2-6a</p><p>Psalm 100:1-2 3 5</p><p>Romans 5:6-11</p><p>Matthew 9:36-10:8</p><p>&nbsp;</p><h3>A Love that Calls Us by Name</h3><p><em>A reflection by Jon Schum</em></p><p>The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus as the Teacher in five distinct and somewhat lengthy discourses. Perhaps these are meant as parallels to the five books of the Torah (the first five books of our Old Testament). The first of these instructions is the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and the second of these commences in todays gospel as we hear the instruction to the apostles. The gospels for the next two Sundays will be a continuation of this discourse.</p><p>In the preceding chapters Jesus plunges into a ministry of proclaiming the reign of God and curing every disease and illness (9:35). There is a flurry of activity: nine specific stories of healing and some too numerous to mention (8:16). And then. Jesus puts his ministry on pause. The numbers are overwhelming. There are crowds of people distressed and dejected. The evangelist uses words that suggest agitation in the innermost part of the body i.e. harassed and torn apart. Is Jesus wondering Where are the other shepherds? Am I alone in this? It is a pivotal gospel moment.</p><p>And so Jesus appoints the Twelve and empowers them to collaborate in the ministry he has undertaken. It is an assorted and diverse crew. It includes two sets of brothers who earned their livelihood from the sea; a tax collector (likely agent of the Roman occupation); and a zealot (either so nicknamed or a member of the Zealot revolutionaries). Among them is even a betrayer. We should note there is scriptural evidence that Jesus also had a close circle of women friends and supporters. And should we also note the women who were left at home to care for their families when the menfolk took up the call? Overall it will take a community a circle of disciples to expel the demons and work the healings that are clear signals that the reign of God is at hand.</p><p>The evangelist provides the names of those chosen. Names are deeply significant. The Rite of Baptism begins as the parent(s) is asked to declare: What name do you give your child? Naming welcomes and initiates the child into the community of disciples. Transgender and non-binary persons identify with new names chosen with heroic intention and effort. Using our name publicly to advocate for justice or signing a letter to the editor are acts of conscience. In 2004 when Ron and I saw our names on our marriage license it was a hard won and joyous victory. Names matter.</p><p>In our Exodus reading today Moses has ascended Sinai and the sealing of the covenant in the Decalogue the ten commandments is imminent. On eagles wings I have brought you to myselfif you hold fast to my covenant you will be my very own dearer to me than all other peopleI will count you as a priestly people a consecrated nation. The God who lifted an oppressed people upon the wings of freedom now elevates and names them a priestly people</p><p>If todays second reading from the Letter to the Romans had begun at verse 5 instead of verse 6 it would have opened with: The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Paul uses terms such as redeem justify and reconcile interchangeably. These somewhat dry terms were borrowed from the world of finance i.e. the debt of sin is converted by God into the credit of forgiveness and redemption. But overall Paul is forging a totally new path toward redemptive love as incarnate in Jesus and sealed for us in the death and resurrection of Christ. A love that is poured out into our hearts.</p><p>Jesus instructs the apostles to focus their efforts only on the lost sheep of the house of Israel symbolizing Jesus hope for a restored Israel when the reign of God is established. A bit of wisdom for us we cannot expect to change the whole world but there is much to do in our own corner of it. Eventually Jesus discovers and lauds the faith of gentile believers.</p><p>This year Dignity USA lost one of its founders and visionaries Pax Nidorf. In 1994 Pax spoke at the 25th anniversary of Dignity San Diego: When I started Dignity (in 1969) in the eyes of the world it was probably a very small thing. However in the microcosm of my own life it was a monumental gamble. The fact is that we are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situationsI think that is what Dignity is all about. Teaching people to dare to be themselves to risk being open to love to dare to open their hearts and let the world peek in.</p><p>In their book Good Enough Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie observe that we are often taught our lives must be big to be remembered. They cite Therese of Lisieux as the saint of small things who saw small deeds of love as her way of scattering flowers. She called this the little way. We can do small things with great love transforming the world one little act of love at a time. Each small act adds up to something spectacular.</p><p>Such choices to name ourselves and to live authentically and to dare to open our hearts have the power to create movements that can reshape and transform. The love that is poured into our lives by the Holy Spirit is often a simple call to each of us to become our best selves.</p><p>Perhaps the evangelist deliberately calls out the names of the apostles so that we may hear our name too.</p></div><div class=oldwebkit>&nbsp;</div><div class=mobile-full><img class=mobile-full src=https://www.dignityusa.org/sites/default/files/civicrm/persist/contribute/images/uploads/static/botsjonschum_c76440fb63ae33d5cb41d979fe891447.png alt= width=166 vspace=0 hspace=0></div><p><em><strong>Jon Schum</strong> and his husband Ron Lacro are longtime Dignity Boston members. Jon has served on its board and liturgy committee and is one of the chapter's ordained presiders. For many years he supervised and provided arts-based therapeutic programming for an elder services agency in Boston. He is currently a co-facilitator of the Aging with Dignity caucus.</em></p><p></p><p style=text-align: center;><a class=btn btn-primary href=https://www.dignityusa.org/civicrm/mailing/subscribe>Subscribe to Breath of the Spirit</a></p>