THE WORD
Is 30,19-21.23-26 / Mt 9,35-10,1.6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. bandoned, 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.”
Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. “Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
IN OTHER WORDS
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” How appropriate to my work as Vocations Director in the Australia Province where the clergy and religious are becoming fewer. The active ones are quite elderly but they continue to work in the Lord’s harvest with full enthusiasm.
Today’s gospel is all about Jesus empowering his disciples to do his work. Jesus knew that he wouldn’t be on this earth forever and he should be able to pass on to his disciples his work. However, before doing all that, he wanted his disciples to minister rst in Israel before going out into the world. How happy and successful were Jesus; disciples after this experience.
God calls us to be laborers in his harvest. Jesus empowers us to do what he and his disciples did: proclaim the kingdom of heaven, cure the sick through our visits, raise the dead by consoling the family of the deceased and urging them to move on, drive out demons by invoking the presence of God in our lives. And this is very important if Jesus’ mission is still to continue until his second coming.
In summary, two points to contemplate on. First, we all (not just priests and religious) are empowered by Jesus to do his work. Daunting as it may seem, we must continue his work. Second, we continue to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. In Australia, a religious- missionary priest has lots to do. You might consider working for God’s kingdom through the Arnoldus family: the Society of the Divine Word (Divine Word Missionaries), the Holy Spirit Sisters (Blue Sisters), and the Adoration Sisters (Pink Sisters). Let us continue to heed the call of Jesus to work for the harvest.
- Fr. Elmer I. Ibarra, SVD | Sydney, Australia
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
