“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
With these words, Jesus reminds the apostles of the work that needs to be done. Yes, He’s Lord, and He’s able to touch everyone, but He still needs disciples to spread the word and help him with the work – something that’s also a gift to us because it allows us to build his kingdom on earth and practice the love which we’re called to live and experience in our lives. Moreover, it’s also our baptismal call to be his light in the world. It’s like Saint Teresa of Avila once wrote: “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion looks out on the world, yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.”
As we reflect upon this call, it gives us a good opportunity to evaluate our gifts and how we’re using them to better our community, both Church and those in our society. Church ministry, for example, is vital for the preservation and growth of the parish. We need ministers to help during Mass as lectors, altar servers, ushers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, and Sacristans. We need minsters to come for Adoration on Tuesdays, to help take communion to the sick, to assist with funerals, to assist with the washing of linens and altar garments, to assist with decorating the Church, to assist counting the offering, to share their knowledge as part of the finance board, to assist in the office or even prepare the Church for the weekend Masses, and to teach and share the faith through our faith formation program. And the same goes for the charism of this Church community – the special grace that the Holy Spirit has bestowed on this community, not for personal glory, but to build up the Body of Christ and serve the spiritual welfare of the Christian community and our society, and that’s the grace which the founders of this Church community and the Sisters of Saint Jospeh dedicated themselves to and has now been passed on to us and entrusted to us – and that’s evangelizing the Gospel through the formation of youth and the support for vocations by offering a place where they can grow in faith, character, purpose, mind, and service. By supporting our school and working with them, we pass on the teaching of Jesus Christ and help to form future leaders who will carry on the light of Christ – leaders that will labor for his harvest. Consider your participation in making this a reality and fulfilling our mission in this Catholic Community of Saint Charles Borromeo.
In Christ
Fr Robert