More Labourers Needed For The Rich Harvest

Homily For The 14th Sunday in ordinary Time. July 3, 2022.

SUNDAY READINGS📖

My Dearest Friends in Christ,

We have gathered on this 14th Sunday to listen and meditate on the words of life from our master Jesus. He is the word and the preacher. Let’s open our hearts and welcome His message.

The readings of today speak to us about the harvest being rich and few laborers willing to work, thus reminding us that God needs more hands and more committed and less distracted men and women in the work of evangelization( harvest of souls). The question each of us must answer is, am I willing and ready to offer myself with full commitment to work for God? If we clearly understand the term ‘Harvest’ it means the act of gathering crops. But here the Bible does not imply crops but the harvest of souls. But think of it, we are not the ones planting but simply called to work as laborers in harvesting souls in the vineyard of the Lord. This Vineyard is the world. The laborers are not just the religious or missionaries but every Baptized Christian. There are many lost souls that we need to save. Truly salvation belongs to God but we must cooperate with God in leading straying souls back to Him and not leading them away. This is why God needs you and me to be committed to this Job while He provides the ways and the means to accomplish it. “Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world.”
– St. Theresa of Avila

We must labor to save souls, especially at this time many souls have been blinded by the immoralities of our tech age. A laborer works for money and deserves his wages, but in the vineyard of God our reward or wages for good labor is Heaven, this is what Christ meant when He says to His disciples … rejoice rather for your names are written in heaven. We also have to bear in mind that: “ You are rewarded not according to your work or your time but according to the measure of your love.” – Catherine of Sienna

Poor remuneration or material gains may partly be the reason behind the shortage of laborers in the Lord’s vineyard or the reason why those already in the vineyard are not committed to their labors. Many indeed are not willing to work where the pay is not handsome enough, if they accept work, however, they work as hired laborers and not as shepherds. There is a serious decline in the number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life especially in America and other western countries because the youths are no longer finding the missionary work fancy enough or worthy of their engagement, and those already doing the work, including those in Africa, are consumed by the spirit of materialism. We need to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send more laborers to His vineyard.

Every Christian is called to be a laborer in this rich harvest of the Lord. Each person has his or her unique role to play. We all have a share of our work which may be volunteering for works of charity in the parish apostolate or drawing people closer to God by our good example. Our talents and gifts must be invested in this harvest. Sure, It is not going to be an easy task, we shall encounter a lot of challenges because we are being sent as lambs among wolves implying a battlefield. To win the battle against the forces of this world, our Lord advises us to travel light by avoiding carrying much luggage is of absolute importance. The more things you carry, the more you are weighed down. To win this battle of winning souls we must be agile and focused to avoid distractions, this is what is implied when our Lord says…” Greet no one on the way”.

We must learn to live in providence and avoid excessive concern for tomorrow. God will always provide whatever we need to be successful. Monetary or material rewards should not be the motivating factor for this mission but the desire to see the work of God progress and wins souls for His Kingdom.

Christ is sending us out daily. At the end of each mass, we are being sent to go in peace and evangelize the world. Christ sent the 72 in pairs to remind us that we need to collaborate on this mission, it is not a one-man-show. Our mission is that of bringing peace and healing to all men and women. Christ did not send His disciples to go and convert people to Christianity or preach religious superiority, but to take the message of peace (peaceful coexistence) to them and whoever rejects peace, rejects God outrightly. We are called to be messengers and harbingers of peace in words and action. We are called to offer physical and spiritual healing to the sick especially those who have lost faith and hope in God. We are called to heal the brokenhearted and our troubled world. Pondering what is happening in many parts of the world, especially in Nigeria with all the incessant killings, kidnappings, and the religious cold-war, I weep and keep asking when would peace return to our land? who will heal our land? I am very certain that God has not abandoned us, He is always there for us but we must work together(labor) as a people to restore peace and heal our land from the poverty, ignorance, insensitivity, bad leadership, and wickedness that has crippled it economically and spiritually. May the peace of Christ reign in our hearts.

Christ has promised to offer us comfort and to spread prosperity over us like a river, as we heard in the first reading; so let that be our consolation and strength as we labor for a richer harvest of souls. With St. Paul’s may we boast with nothing but the cross of Christ; Enduring every hardship with hope and faith in God who has called us to labor in His vineyard.