The Harvest

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 07 July 2019
First reading Isaiah 66:10-14

Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her,
that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord: I will extend prosperity to her like river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
and dandled on her knees.

As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
and his indignation is against his enemies.

Second reading                                                          Galatians 6:14-18

May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!

As for those who will follow this rule – peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let nobody make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Gospel                                                                         Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet nobody on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”

But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ And I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Reflection

By Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

Is it not worth celebrating how plentiful the Lord’s harvest is? However, is it not regrettable how only few are willing to work for it? Perhaps the reason why only few are willing to work for such a bounty is because it may be difficult to grasp how great a gift the Lord’s harvest is. What does this harvest mean by the way?

In its simplest form, the Lord’s harvest can be likened to the things we see every day. We have food on the table, roof on our heads, parents who love us and work hard to send us to school, friends to go with us in our day-to-day tasks, money to pay our daily expenses, cell phones and the internet to make connecting with family and friends easier, and many other things.

These blessings help us realize how great a provider God is. However, the harvest of God stretches far beyond our experience here on earth. Ultimately, God’s harvest is eternal life in Christ. In Biblical terms, it is the Kingdom of God.

It takes many parables to explain the Kingdom of God. Jesus used seven (six in Matthew 13 and one in Mark 4), but the overarching truth is that it is both here in the now, and it is yet to come.

We uphold the Kingdom of God as we live for Christ here on earth as His Church, anticipating our lives in heaven as we live heaven here on earth, all with our heavenly virtues, but we are yet to realize its fullness–the ultimate prize when we enter eternity with Him.

With such an eternal reward, it is not surprising why God alerts us to those that may try to tear us away from our heavenly prize. In the Gospel for today, we are alerted to wolves. Applied broadly, wolves can be anything from events to people who make it difficult to spread the message of God’s harvest.

Internally, there may be hesitation to spread God’s Word when others look more fit and qualified to evangelize. Externally, before we leave our home, there may be many chores that render us helpless in thinking it is impossible to squeeze into our daily schedules our proclamation of God’s harvest.

Before we make it outside the driveway, our car may have already broken down. In our commutes, the vehicle we ride on may encounter problems of different sorts.

Other people can also hinder in spreading God’s Word. In the Gospel, some might not welcome us when they recognize the Word we are to share. To those who would welcome us, however, “The Kingdom of God is very near to you” (Luke 10:9).

To the unwelcoming, God told whom He sent to simply shake the dust off their feet and proceed. To us, this means not to take rejection personally and proceed with our proclamation, so we don’t fall into the sin of harboring anger and being unforgiving.

It is not always the case that people reject God’s Word out rightly. Sometimes, people suffer different blows in life that make it heavy a task to receive the message at present.

To these brothers and sisters, also to us, God’s goodness and mercy stand available, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).

In consolation, in our revelation of the Word, rejection is nothing new, even to our brethren in the olden days: to the prophets and the disciples, and even to Jesus Christ.

As we proclaim God’s Word, what drives us aside from God’s grace, first and foremost, is our realization of how incredible the eternal prize of God’s harvest is. Even if we do not understand in full the breadth and depth of this harvest as the Lord’s mysteries transcend the transitory, when we relay to others how great this reward is, the beauty of our wonder already stands as an authentic witness. People are interested in hearing sincere testimonies.

“In this world you will have trouble”, God said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).

Truly, when we proclaim God’s Word, some events and people may bring impediments. But in our perseverance, there is God’s grace: even the devils submitted to the disciples at the mention of Jesus’ Name (Luke 10:17).

Surely, there are victories in God to celebrate here on earth. And God reminds us not to lose sight of the eternal, because a bigger cause for rejoicing is at hand: Our names are written in Heaven (Luke 10:20).

Prayer

Lord God, gracious Giver of the bountiful harvest, thank You for Your message today. Thank You very much for the ultimate harvest–eternal life. Though undeserving sheep we are, You still give unsparingly.

Please never exhaust in Your mercy to accept us as we repent, at even the slightest sign of remorse.

Please grant us the grace to see the tremendous value in Your harvest, so we are innately motivated to pursue its revelation to others, especially when motivations from outside—from events or people—are difficult to come by.

Please open the hearts, minds, and spirits of whom we are to share Your Word, so they accept and live It fully, and that in their jubilation, they share Your Word with others, too.

When it is difficult to spread Your Word, please grant us the patience not to give up. Please also send people to help and inspire us on the way. Please let the sight of their—and even our—reconciliation with You be a good motivator for us to continue sharing Your Word.

For those who find it difficult to accept Your message now because of a rough patch in life, please grant us the grace to be patient with them, the understanding to heed their wounds, and the love for them so we deal with them with utmost gentleness and care. Please enable in us hearts that respect their pace of healing, so that we do not worsen their pain.

May You come to the hurting so that they heal once and for all, so that they can live the life You want them to live.

Thank You, Father, and may You be glorified forever, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.