I am ready

Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

What do you think it means to labor for the Lord’s harvest?   Is Jesus talking only about the “harvest” at the end of time?

Probably not.

Some people have suggested that Luke was a doctor; others say he was a painter.   Either way, he was surely a traveling missionary with St. Paul.   As he went from town to town preaching the gospel, Luke saw many people experience the kingdom of God in the here and now.   These new converts were clearly part of the “harvest” Jesus had spoken about.   And so, when he sat down to write his own “orderly sequence” about Jesus, Luke placed a special emphasis on people’s experience of the kingdom.

For example, Luke tells of Jesus raising a little girl from the dead .   He tells the story of ten lepers being miraculously delivered from their disease.   And there’s the story of a widow from the town of Nain, who receives her son back from the dead .

Luke also provides many more examples of people experiencing the kingdom of God through their own salvation.   There is Zacchaeus, who comes down from a tree and promises to make amends for his acts of extortion.   There is the woman known as a sinner who anoints Jesus’ feet and is told that her faith has saved her.   And there is the timeless parable of the prodigal son.   So many people who have joined the harvest!

The kingdom of God is for us too—here and now!    How have you experienced it?   Maybe God has set you free from fear or helped heal a wounded relationship.   Maybe you have felt his closeness while at Mass or during a parish Bible study.   Maybe you touched his mercy in Confession.   How blessed we are to experience the kingdom in these ways—and so many more!

So do you want to help Jesus bring in the harvest?   It’s not as hard as it may seem.   Just follow St. Luke’s example and share your story with the people around you.

word among us