You are Needed

“Then he said to his disciples,

‘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

Our world needs you. Jesus needs you! Though our God is almighty, He somehow still wants our help in bringing His love and mercy to others. What a gift! Before Jesus returned to the Father He commissioned His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus taught the Apostles what they needed to do and promised to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to guide them, lead them, and to remind them of all that He had taught them. So the Apostles then had the courage and strength to go out and preach the Good News. They were not afraid because they knew it was Christ teaching and speaking through them.

Today we must do the same. We must be Jesus’ hands and feet. We must help raise up those who are bowed down in shame and fear. We must walk with those who have gone astray and steer them back home to God’s love. It is not up to the priest or bishop or religion teacher, but it is up to you and me to do this. The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. You are needed, will you answer the call?

We are Espoused

“I will espouse you to me forever:

I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy;

I will espouse you in fidelity,

and you shall know the LORD.”

Hosea 2:21-22

Today we remember and celebrate St. Maria Goretti, a young girl who was killed because she refused to sin. A young man had asked her for sexual favors and when she repeatedly said no, he became more forceful. He finally got fed up and stabbed her 14 times. On her deathbed, Maria forgave the young man. Maria Goretti knew that she was espoused to the Lord and that she belonged to Him, and so any acts of infidelity would be out of the question, even at the cost of her life.

We belong to the Lord. We are His. We are espoused to Him. Because we have been so loved, we ought to love others with this same kind of a love – a disinterested, non-possessive kind of love, a love that wants only the good of the other. We can and are called to love this way because the Lord has loved us with that kind of love. In having received it, we can now give this love to others. However, if we haven’t received it, we ought to ask the Father to open our hearts and give us the humility and desire to receive this love. It is only in receiving that we will be able to give.

When she struggled and refused the give in to the young man, Maria Goretti exclaimed, “No! It is a sin! God does not want it!” She did not cave in not only because she knew it was culturally wrong but because it would offend God. May all of our thoughts, desires, and actions be determined by God’s love and fidelity towards us so that all that we think, say, and do be a reflection of His love and fidelity.

Come To Me

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

The Lord ask us to go to Him. In the busyness of our modern world, are we able to find rest and stillness? We are always doing something. Running from this place to the next, always on the move. But there is something special about resting and the peace that comes from it. In the Greek, the word used when Jesus said, “I will give you rest” is “ἀναπαύσω” which can be broken down into the parts “ανα” and “παυω.”  Ανα can mean in the midst, among, between, and παυω can mean make cease or desist, but it can also mean to release from sin. So, when we rest, we are really resting in the rest of Jesus Himself, and when we go to Him, not only we will receive rest from the works and burdens of the day, but the rest and peace that comes from the forgiveness of sins.

This rest does not requires us to go to any particular place or pay any amount for a vacation. To enter into this rest we only need to quiet ourselves and allow the noise from within our hearts – all the worries and anxieties – to settle so that the voice of God may be heard. Jesus says to you today, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”