Send Out Laborers

June 15, 2008

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.

Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Exodus 19:5-6

For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38

Piety

Let us pray: Father, send out laborers for your harvest and count me among them. Jesus, help me to pick up your mantle of love and share that like you did with all – no matter if they are friend or foe. Help me to see the needs right around us and jump right in to do your work. If we do your work, then bear us up on eagles’ wings and bring us to you at the appointed hour. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/061508.shtml

Christ died for the ungodly. What do I do for those who do not deserve my love? Rarely do I think about doing something good for a pain-in-the-neck person. Knowing the people I work for makes it almost automatic that I do what I do for good people. How frequently we exchange gifs with those who care about us. Our world today by instant communications opens up the possibility of reaching beyond those we can touch daily by our presence. Our lives today have an international dimension to them.

We are part of something that is bigger than where we live. The question of how far to reach and how to make my life reach beyond my likes is a real question when I look at the Christ who died for the good and the bad alike. There are so many people that are abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. What should we do?

Action

I need to pray to Christ, the Lord of the harvest, to send out laborers for his harvest. That is what the gospel says. How often do I ask the Lord for helpers? What am I asking for? Christ sends out disciples with authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Twice in my life I looked for foreign shores to do the work of Christ. It did not take me long to realize that I did not have to go a long distance to find work for the Lord. The Lord’s needs are visible all around us. I need to open my eyes to what is needed in the every day of my life. Christ worked for us when we were still sinners. No one has to deserve my love if I am going to be like the Christ of my heart. He shares his work with us. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It is where people need us in the here and the now.

God gives us his son. I need to share his love with the people that are around me.

If we hearken to the voice of the Lord and deepen his covenant, we shall belong to the Lord as his special possession and we shall be dearer to the Lord than all other people. The Lord will bear us up on eagle wings and bring us to himself if we are willing to be laborers for his harvest. We need to be able to reach beyond ourselves. We need companions of the harvest and we need to be willing to claim the victory of Christ for all who come our way. What we give to the strangers in our lives has all the more meaning because we have given our love to our family and friends. The outer ripples of our love will be true because we have joined with each other to be the laborers for the harvest of the lord.