In the first reading we see the Egyptians wary of the great number of Israelites in Egypt; they feared them and oppressed them with forced labor and treated them as slaves. It is this oppressed people whom God will rescue with his mighty works to bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey.

Like the Israelites, we too can be slaves of money, comfort, affection or power. We can be slaves of sin.

But Christ came to save us from sin and our slavery to it.

In the Gospel reading Christ invites us to the world of his Good News, where the utmost priority is doing the will of God, even against family and friends. The follower of Christ follows his master, the suffering Servant on the cross. And he promises a reward for those who accept him and those he has sent to bring the Good News. He promises a reward to those who do good deeds to the little ones in Christ’s name.