The Master of the Harvest

Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

By Melanie Rigney

When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind; the stalk of grain that forms no ear can yield no flour; even if it could, strangers would swallow it. (Hosea 8:7)

Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills, he does. Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of men. (Psalm 115:3-4)

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are

By Aleksander Mroczkowski (1850-1927)
[Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Piety

Lord, still my soul and the busyness of my life. Help me to see that all I need is You.

Study

At some level, we all need something more than the day-to-day joys and aggravations life on earth offers us. We know it. But even when we know precisely what it is we need, we have a tendency to be a little restless.

And so, we set up idols. They’re not always bad or dangerous on the surface the way narcotics or overeating are. Sometimes they’re far more subtle. We want a nice house or a nice car or nice clothes, and we set them… or the money we need to buy them or the job we need to make the money to buy them… up as idols. We love our family so much that we can’t imagine life without them, and we invest all we have in those relationships, setting them up as idols. Indeed, we can even get so wrapped up in service to the Lord that our pride in a job well done and need for recognition become idols.

Idols take up space in our lives. If we’re not mindful, they can crowd out God. Let’s be careful with our time, talent, and treasure that the master of the harvest always is pleased with our labors.

Action

Identify one activity or appointment you can set aside, just for today, to spend more time with God.