11th Sunday of the Year (A)

"Beg the harvest Master to send out laborers to gather his harvest"

This Sunday's gospel describes how Jesus names and calls the 12 who will be His apostles. When Jesus had to make important decisions, the gospel says that He goes out to a quiet place to pray. This is what He did when He called the 12 who will be His apostles. Jesus saw the need for followers to work in the harvesting of souls for the Kingdom of God.

"Beg the harvest Master to send out laborers to gather his harvest". This may have been the content of Jesus' prayer when praying to the Father for help to choose men to bring about the kingdom of God. Jesus chose 12 simple people - mostly fishermen. He chose them not because of any superior quality. Rather, He chose them by the qualities of mind and heart that they potentially have. These are the minds and hearts which He would form according to the mind and heart of God.

All Catholic faithful are called to be "laborers to gather Jesus' harvest". Jesus has already sown the gospel and every generation of Catholics since the apostles are entasked by baptismal consecration to witness to God's love in word and deed. Today, it is imperative that all undertake this task because St. John Paul II has described this present era as an era with "darkness". He instituted the Light Mysteries of the rosary to show that what this present era needs more than ever the Light of Christ. All Catholics can bear the light of Christ in their being if each one believes and does what Jesus asks with respect to each one's state of life. That is all that is necessary. Faith and works of charity and kindness and justice and generosity and service: in the parish, in the family, at work, or in all these. If all Catholics keep to the spirit of the Gospel and are wary and careful not to follow what is evil in the spirit of the flesh and the world, then everyone will do their part to labor for the harvest of the Kingdom. We can always pray to receive the light of Christ in the Eucharistic celebration and to bring that light to others also.