Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The Laborers are Few

It’s summertime here in the Midwest. That means vacation, a slower pace, enjoyment and leisure for those with means. Yet, there is much work to be done for the sake of the Kingdom. As Jesus says in the Gospel today, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37b). This sounds like a business problem. And on a global scale, it is quite overwhelming to think how few laborers there are in the Lord’s Vineyard and how much spiritual and corporal work has yet to be done.

But don’t worry if you’re on vacation as you read this. I don’t mean to guilt trip you. We do that to each other often enough. Take your vacation as an opportunity to cast a new light on your work for the Kingdom. In fact, it’s a time when you can stop and think about your own contribution—to your family and friends, to your coworkers, to your care of creation, and to your God.

Idleness is the enemy of the soul. (Rule of Benedict, 48:1a)

And yet, St. Benedict advises his monks not to become idle or inactive. I do not think that idleness is a problem with many today. Rather, I get the sense that many Americans work too much. If ambition is defined as “an eager desire for personal advancement,” (Merriam-Webster) then ambition is rampant in our American culture.

So, what am I saying? Work more, or work less? What is considered work, and what is not work? Is what you are busying yourself with for the greater glory of God and for His Kingdom? And are you keeping the Lord’s Day holy, that is, set apart for rest and holy leisure?

For the Journey:

Pray to the Master of the Harvest, our Father in Heaven, to call more laborers—the woman next to you in the pew, the coworker who says he’s Catholic, the person who is reading (and writing) this reflection—into his harvest.

Reflection by Br. Luke Kral, OSB