In the Gospel from this past weekend, we were reminded that we are all sent on a mission, tasked with the responsibility of helping to build up God’s kingdom. When we are called to something, how do we respond?
The Gospel passage speaks of the needs of the people and how the apostles are called to serve. Jesus tells 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” (Matthew 9:37-38). Upon hearing this, we may typically think of the need for more priests and religious vocations, and that certainly is what we must continue to pray for. However, this passage should remind us that we are all called to be laborers, no matter where we are in life.
Each and every baptized Catholic is tasked with the mission of living our faith and sharing the Gospel. This is not just reserved for priests and religious. We are all called to holiness. It would be easy to just sit in the pews at Mass each week and think that evangelization is the job of others. But the mission field is far and wide, and we each have a part to play in sharing Christ with others and making Him known. Can other people tell that we are Christians when they see us outside of church?
Being a laborer for Christ means loving Him and serving Him. This means, we must be serving Him through serving others and bringing His love to the world around us. The field that we work in will vary depending on wherever we are, but it may be school, the workplace, among our families and friends, or in our local community. We don’t have to go far to share the Gospel, we are called to serve and live our faith, right where we are.
Jesus tells His disciples that there is a lot of work but a lack of workers. The same is true for us today. We each are called to say “yes” to be a laborer for Christ. May each of us find the field Jesus is calling us to tend to and get to work, because the harvest truly is abundant!
Faith and The Good Stuff 