Posted on julio 3, 2025 View all Gospel Reflection
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2)
Today we see Jesus appointing seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. This sending forth is similar but distinct from when Jesus sent out the twelve in Matthew 10:5-15 and Luke 9:1-6. In this mission, the seventy-two are sent out beyond the Jewish territories including the gentile and Samaritan lands. It is seen that anticipating this, Jesus said to them “eat and drink what is offered to you” (Luke 10:7). It must have been a bit surprising to those he was sending out that Jesus did not tell them to make sure to keep the Jewish kosher regulations when they were travelling. Rather he said to eat what they gave them. This is further clarification of the discussion we heard a few weeks back about whether the Christians needed to follow all the Jewish laws and practices and then they could become Christian. It is not what you practice on the outside that will save you, but rather how you follow the Lord in your heart that is critical.
What also must have been surprising to them was when Jesus said to them “carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” (Luke 10:4) Most reasonable people plan and take things when they go on a trip. They do so in order to not be without a place to stay or food to eat. But here Jesus is sending them out with nothing on purpose. He wants them to go forth relying only on God’s Providence and the generosity and grace of the communities to which they will be travelling.
When Jesus sent forth these seventy-two, they went out in many ways like deacons to assist and prepare the way for the bishops (the twelve apostles). They acted in a similar manner to the seventy elders who were selected by Moses (Num. 11:16-30) to assist him in handling the ordinary matters so that he could focus on the more complex situations.
In reflecting on the mission of these seventy-two and in connection with the mission of the twelve apostles we hear Jesus saying “The harvest is abundant but laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). Jesus sends them forth but he says “I am sending you like lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:3). When we go forth into the world Jesus warns that we will meet dangers and persecution. But we should take courage that He is the source of our strength. Jesus also exhorts that we should “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Luke 10: 2) As we look over the panorama of the Church today we see that there is a great need for laborers to bring the Gospel into the lives of so many who hunger and thirst for the Word.
Certainly, the laborers are rooted in the authority and power of the Bishops and in turn the priests, deacons and religious who dedicate themselves to this work. And it is very important to pray for vocations, and to pray and ask the Lord if we are called to one of those vocations. But these laborers are not just limited to those vocations. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this when it says “lay Christians are entrusted by God … to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth.” (CCC 900) Pope Pius XII was quoted by St. John Paul II the Great declaring that “Lay believers are in the front line of Church life; for them the Church is the animating principle of human society.” (cf CCC 899)
As we take in this call by Christ to evangelize, we should reflect on how we respond to His Call. Is He calling us to respond in a personal and vocational manner? Is He calling us to pray for more vocations in the priestly and religious life? Am I responding to His call in how I live my life in my day-to-day moments? Our response to these questions should help animate us to gauge how focused we are on trusting in God’s plan for each of us and ultimately His plan for the salvation of the world.
