Homily for October 3, 2019

In this morning’s Gospel passage, St. Luke describes Jesus sending out a large group of His disciples — seventy-two, to be exact — and telling them to “ask the master of the harvest to send out more laborers for his harvest.”

The LORD'S work, in its many and varied forms, cannot be carried out by one person or even a small group of people; it requires a large number of laborers. Since the harvest is abundant and wide-ranging, the more workers, the better. This is an important message for bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and the lay-faithful of the Church in our own day. More and more people are needed to take responsibility for the life of the Church, for the work of the LORD.

In sending out His disciples ahead of Him, Jesus draws attention to the many difficulties, challenges, and rejections that they will face. He anticipates that some towns will not welcome them but, whether people welcome them or not, the disciples are to proclaim: “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.”

Indeed, the LORD is very near whether He is welcomed or not. The Lord is present to all people whether He is received by them or not. Jesus continues to work in and through those who are ready to be His laborers, whether or not that labor is valued by those to whom they preach. We are constantly in the presence of God’s kingdom, God’s rule, among us; there is no getting away from it. The issue is how we respond to that presence as well as to the call to share that presence with others. +