Laborers Are Few

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.

July 8, 2007

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD’s power shall be known to his servants. Isaiah 66:14

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:15

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Luke 10:2-3

Piety

Psalm 66

Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth; sing of his glorious name; give him glorious praise. Say to God: "How awesome your deeds! Before your great strength your enemies cringe. All on earth fall in worship before you; they sing of you, sing of your name!"

Come and see the works of God, awesome in the deeds done for us.

He changed the sea to dry land; through the river they passed on foot. Therefore let us rejoice in him, who rules by might forever, Whose eyes are fixed upon the nations. Let no rebel rise to challenge! Bless our God, you peoples; loudly sound his praise,

Who has kept us alive and not allowed our feet to slip.

You tested us, O God, tried us as silver tried by fire.

You led us into a snare; you bound us at the waist as captives.

You let captors set foot on our neck; we went through fire and water; then you led us out to freedom. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/070807.shtml

The Lord promises us delight and comfort. He tells us our hearts will rejoice and we shall flourish like the grass. We shall know the Lord's power. And we should never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are the new creations of the Lord and peace and mercy will be ours if we follow the standard of the Cross. The marks of Christ in our lives will be what we have suffered for the sake of Christ. His grace will be with us as we take up our crosses to follow him. Our claim to fame in heaven will be the size of the splinters of his cross that we have carried in his name.

Christ has sent us out into the world to labor for his harvest. It is his work we are doing. People will rejoice in what they learn to do for Christ from us. Those who hear us will have a great reward in heaven.

Those who do not listen to the story we tell with our lives will have something to worry about and it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for those we share our Christ with. But our rejoicing is in the fact that our names will be written in the book of life because we have evangelized in his name. We can rejoice with Paul if we have been found worthy to suffer for his name as we proclaim the good news of salvation.

Action

What story are you telling with your life as you go out on your apostlate? Who is listening?

How lightly can you pack for your mission? The less you carry for yourself the more you can carry for Christ.