The Harvest and Its Labor
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A (18/06/2023)
(Exodus 19:2-6a; Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36—10:8)
Fr. Samuel Odeh
“And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity” (Matthew 10:1).
Our readings today tell us that the welfare, salvation and well-being of the believer, through a relationship with him, is God’s plan. It is his harvest. In our first reading from the Book of Exodus, God said to the people of Israel through Moses, “Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation...” (Exodus 19:5-6). God wants a harvest where all those who accept him in their lives become his possession; we are to be God’s property. They shall be called, a sacrificing people, a righteous people.
In the second reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans we are told that the harvest of God is the readily available grace and mercy of God to sinners after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; we killed God’s Son and he still forgave us. What else can God not forgive us if we are truly repentant and accept Jesus?
In today’s gospel reading from the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus chooses his laborers for God’s harvest and describes their work in it. The men chosen are twelve in number, most likely after the twelve tribes of Israel, and also meant to represent the New Israel of the Church that Christ was starting. They are called “apostles.” Apostle (apostolos) means ‘one who is sent’. The evangelists gave us the names of these twelve men. Jesus gave them his power to usher in the harvest of the New Age. He told them to go first to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” These are those suffering from lack while living in the midst of plenty. Among us, they are represented by the abandoned, the lonely, those who have lost hope, and all those without the direction and guidance of the Gospel. The apostles are to proclaim the good news that the kingdom of heaven is near at hand, that the time has come to allow God’s governance to take control of our lives. Only those who welcome Christ into their lives in this way can hope to enjoy happiness and fruitfulness that only God can give. Finally, Jesus charges his apostles to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons.
As members of the one, holy Catholic and apostolic Church we also are bound in a covenantal relationship with God through our baptism into Christ Jesus. We are called to be thankful for the mercy, love, and forgiveness of God which we experience daily in our lives. Like the apostles, we are called to be laborers in the Lord’s harvest. We are to make God’s goodness and kindness present to the less fortunate and those in need. May the Lord bring about an abundant harvest in each and every one of our lives and may he empower us to be fruitful and effective workers and laborers in the lives of others. Amen.
