The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Year C
Reading I:
Isaiah 66:10-14c
Responsorial:
Psalm 66
Isaiah 66:10-14c
Responsorial:
Psalm 66
Reading II:
Galatians 6:14-18
Galatians 6:14-18
Gospel:
Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
As I reflect on the massive field, I am struck by the few laborers who are attempting to reap all the wheat. It certainly must have been backbreaking work. I can imagine that they must have developed painful conditions in their backs, with the daily, long hours in the field and the constant bending over in the hot sun.
Love has to be a choice; therefore, he gave us free will. His call is an invitation which we can accept or reject. We, who wholeheartedly accept the invitation, must be willing to be among the few. We must face the challenges, the weariness, and the pain involved. However, experiencing the companionship and support of the Lord and other dedicated followers, we are truly blessed!!!
The feet of the workers must have been extremely painful from standing on them for so many hours a day. Also, the laborers must have experienced intense joint pain in their hands from the repetitive motions they had to perform for long periods of time.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tries to enlist helpers as he goes about his ministry of spreading the good news of salvation. Of course, there was no Internet or TV in his time. They, too, had to endure hardship in their ministries. He and his disciples had to travel mostly by foot, animal, or boat to deliver the message of God's great love to the people. While they were encouraged by the enthusiastic response of some, they also encountered hardship. Sometimes, they were rejected; other times they experienced weariness, discouragement, and pain. They were so few...among so many.
It seems that the Lord would call enough people to take care of the harvest of souls. However, he chose not to force us to follow him.
St. Katharine Drexel earnestly urges us on with these words:
“Follow Him as witnesses of Him, strong in His Power.”
It seems that the Lord would call enough people to take care of the harvest of souls. However, he chose not to force us to follow him.
St. Katharine Drexel earnestly urges us on with these words:
“Follow Him as witnesses of Him, strong in His Power.”
We must remember to reach out to bring our Lord, Jesus Christ to everyone, not just Christians. I use social media, just like Pope Francis
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Galatians 6:6
I thought of the Apostles when I read the comment about being called to harvest souls. Jesus warned his followers that they would face hardship and difficulty. In his devotional series, Greg Laurie frequently writes of Jesus’ messages of encouragement to his beloved friends, ”These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). “Be of good cheer.” Take heart! We will face pain and heartache in this broken world of ours. As Laurie reminds us, “it is part of life on this side of heaven.” Jesus gave us His Spirit to empower us in times of difficulty. That Spirit enabled the disciples to” go out and turn their world upside down” (Laurie). That same power is available to every Christian to give us courage to live the Christian life and to share our faith.
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