Today's Gospel passage shows Jesus sending out his 12 disciples for mission in His name. The choice of 12 come from the 12 tribes of the old Israel, and in the new Israel are symbolic of the 12 tribes (Mt.19:28). They serve as the official nucleus of the future of the Church.

We may wonder why Jesus gave the disciples the instructions that they were forbidden to go to the Gentiles and Samaritans (Mt.10:5-6); 'the lost sheep of Israel' were marginalized during the time of Jesus. We see how the preferential option for the poor has always been part of the the mission of the Church.

It was after the death and resurrection of Jesus that the mission was extended to all as commissioned by Jesus in Mt.28:18-20. The primary mission was to preach the Kingdom of heaven (Mt.10:7) and the Good News to share with all, especially the poor.

Ironically in the first reading, Joseph was in Egypt and met his brothers, responsible for his being in Egypt. Yet, Joseph reached out to his own family as they were experiencing famine in Canaan.

This reminds us that God expects us to have faith and trust in His protecting hands always because God 'writes straight on crooked lines.'