When Jesus says “the laborers are few,” we might be tempted to think he’s talking about someone else. Dan Finucane, SJ, reminds us that we are all called to be laborers for the Kingdom of God. Based on the readings for Sunday, July 3, 2022.
“The harvest is abundant, the laborers few…” Wait, you don’t mean me, right Jesus?
Hi, my name is Dan Finucane and this is my One-Minute Reflection.
Jesus sends out 72 disciples to proclaim the kingdom in today’s Gospel. It’s easy to think the “laborers are few” refers to the “religious professionals.” After all, Jesus’ instructions – no food, no money, no shoes – are pretty challenging. Not to mention the wolves out there…
But the harvest really is abundant, all around us:
In our neighbor who lives alone and is sick; the man begging on the street corner on our way to work; our friend struggling with the loss of a loved one.
So many hunger for the good news of the Kingdom.
All of us are the laborers Jesus is talking about. No professional experience is necessary! We are sent to be ambassadors of the Kingdom by our presence, by listening, and at times, by our words. After all, as St. Teresa of Avila tells us, “Christ has no body now, but yours.”
