Saturday of the First Week of Advent

Jesus traveled throughout all of the cities and towns, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every illness and every infirmity. Then, seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them, because they were distressed and were reclining, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples: “The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore, petition the Lord of the harvest, so that he may sent out laborers to his harvest.” And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to cure every sickness and every infirmity. Jesus sent these twelve, instructing them, saying: “Do not travel by the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the city of the Samaritans, but instead go to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel. And going forth, preach, saying: ‘For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.’ Cure the infirm, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.