Daily Reflection
July 10, 2026

In today’s Gospel, Matthew shares that God missions the Apostles but also warns them of the road ahead.  They will be persecuted and therefore need to use their gifts and talents to share the good news.  He further shares that when persecuted they should not fear, as the Spirit will speak through them.  And finally, the work is ongoing and incomplete.

As I pray with today’s reading, I come back to the state of our Church and the schisms afoot.  Globally, Pope Leo recently excommunicated members of SSPX.  The American Catholic Church has waning membership.  Locally, many friends have stopped attending Mass.

Trying to find my voice in the Church today is always confounding.  For example, I recently wrestled with the question of whether I should take a risk at my local parish to bring in a speaker to further inspire our community’s efforts with social justice (the answer was yes and people who attended enjoyed it).  But I struggled with the thought of being judged by peers for some time before planning it.  After quite a few Examens, I knew that there was a need for the dialogue and discussion.  Perhaps I was listening to the call Matthew shared with us today. 

One speaker is not enough; I know that.  Today’s reading helped remind me that our work as followers of Christ is always ongoing and incomplete.  I often share the prayer below with students who are unsatisfied with their efforts not taking off immediately.  I ask them to remember that we are all workers, not messiahs.  But we all must do the work.

A Prayer of Oscar Romero by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. 
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, 
it is even beyond our vision. 
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction 
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. 
Nothing we do is complete, 
which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. 
No statement says all that could be said. 
No prayer fully expresses our faith. 
No confession brings perfection. 
No pastoral visit brings wholeness. 
No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. 
No set of goals and objectives includes everything. 
This is what we are about. 
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. 
We water seeds already planted, 
knowing that they hold future promise. 
We lay foundations that will need further development. 
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. 
We cannot do everything, 
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. 
This enables us to do something, 
and to do it very well. 
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, 
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. 
We may never see the end results, 
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. 
We are workers, not master builders; 
ministers, not messiahs. 
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.

Amen.