The gospel for Tuesday of the 14th week in Ordinary Time is taken from Matthew 9th, chapter 32, 38, verse. A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the mute man 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. And he said to his disciples, the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. So ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest. There was a tradition at the time of Jesus that those who were evil were considered to have the power to do strange things to other people. And so it seems the Pharisees were just claiming some kind of hope that some people might believe them when they said, jesus is the demon. That’s how he can handle demons.

But it makes no sense to Jesus or to the others. Why would the devil try to drive out the devil from another person? But what I love in this passage is the way in which the compassion of Jesus is so clear. Looking at his human beings, he sees them troubled, abandoned, without direction. And he calls for a prayer of all of us that there will be people who will guide those who are longing for the kingdom. We underestimate each of our ability to be an instrument of touching the troubled and abandoned soul with love and with hope.

Take a few moments to reflect upon these truths, and then I will close with a prayer. Foreign God, we don’t always have the confidence that we should that you can use us to give direction that you long for other people to have. You will use us, empower us, give us wisdom, so that through us you will be able to touch those abandoned and those who are afraid. Bless us with this conviction. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.