Let’s work for the Common Good:

 

   

The Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time 2026 

June 14, 2026

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Exodus 19:2-6; Psalm 100; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36-10:8

 

 

The reason for calling these first twelve men as his disciples was this line: his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned. Jesus responded compassionately to the emotional and spiritual needs of the people. In the first reading, God’s heart is likewise moved by the plight of the Israelites and takes them under his care. We get a glimpse of God’s emotions and God’s desire to care for us as a parent does a child. Because of this care, the Israelites and the Disciples are called to greater matters. They are called to care for humanity.

 

Pope Leo introduced his first encyclical called “Magnificent Humanity” so that he could call us to greater behavior. We are called to care for others, which is the reason he relies upon Catholic Social Teaching with four points. (1.) The letter calls us to build a civilization of humanity built upon the common good by having a foundational relationship with God. (2.) Building the common good means accepting the limits and weaknesses of humanity without considering them an error to be corrected. True fulfillment is not achieved by eliminating weakness but through harmonious growth. (3.) Building a world where everyone can flourish requires shared responsibility and courage. Tensions and differences are welcome because they can become the creative forces when guided by shared responsibility. (4.) Building the common good requires respectful language. We are to avoid humiliating or antagonistic words. Instead, we need to choose clarity that sheds light on our issues, and we need frank discussions that unlock new possibilities. 

 

The Pope’s letter says that we need to set standards for discernment, especially upon these issues – the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods like food and basic necessities, including health care, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home, and peace between neighbors. The Pope writes, “True progress always stems from a heart open to others, an intelligence that is willing to listen, and to a will that seeks what unites rather than what separates.” 

 

Back to Scripture, we see that God raised the Israelites to a new relationship and that Jesus raised twelve men to a ministerial responsibility. We must discern how the Spirit, through Pope Leo’s words, are raising us up to a new form of discipleship. We are invited to become builders of communion. We are to be servants with God’s project for the world instead of those who lord it over others. We are asked to adopt the heart of a shepherd and a loving parent to help others to join forces to build up the common good, so that humanity, in the face of today’s challenges, will never lose its beauty, and that the world once again will recognize the human heart as the place where God desires to dwell. Are you ready to respond, “yes?”