Saint Luke, Evangelist Yrs 1 and 2 2025

Title

The Laborers are Few

Outline

In a sense God does not need laborers

God is totally self-sufficient and does not need anything from us, even our religious work. But God is love and wants to include us in a love union with his very being, so he naturally chooses to do his work in the world through us so that we, as human beings, become images of his incarnation in Christ.

But we are often not true laborers, for we resist single-minded union with God

We see this in 2 Timothy for Paul speaks of three co-workers, Demas, Crescens, and Titus (the last something of a bishop), who, when push came to shove deserted Paul and went to various points east, “enamored of the present world.” Probably they were going to other churches or missions, places that were more comfortable or more secure or safer than supporting Paul during his day in court. That happens today.

There were some true laborers, such as Timothy who was to bring Mark and join Luke, “the only one with me,” alongside Paul. Interestingly, Paul does not tell them to bring food or money or a warm blanket, but “the papyrus rolls and especially the parchments,” which made me think of St Dominic carrying the Gospel of Matthew with him despite its bulk and weight.

The true laborers are a community that depend on God

Like the 72 they come in pairs or more, unless sent on a mission, so that no one will have to say with Paul, “at my first defense o one appeared on my behalf.” But they will say with Paul, “the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”

Like the 72 the true laborer will put their this-world lives at risk, for they are “lambs among wolves.” They will depend on God as Paul did, “no money bag, no sack, no sandals,” for they say to the Father, “Give us this day our daily bread.” They will sense the urgency of the mission, seen in their greeting no one on the way and “the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” They will seek the receptive and accept whatever is offered in terms of food and drink rather than trying to influence the influential. And they will proclaim the message, “The kingdom of God is at hand for you,” via show (curing the sick, which is always connected to evangelism in Luke-Acts) and tell, i.e. the proclamation.

Sisters, this is challenging

We must constantly examine ourselves to see if we are true laborers. There is always a temptation to say that the assignment is too hard or too this or that and want to try to depart for a better one - Thomas Merton struggled with this. Of course, it may be that God is not giving strength to show us our time is up; I realize I will likely eventually have to admit this. And it is possible that a bishop or superior may make a mistake, a mismatch, for they are fallible. But mostly it is us not drawing our strength from our good Father and being attracted by situations that seem to offer more. At least that is my experience when I consider me. We need to be constantly like Luke, loyal and steadfast, but probably also suffering in standing by Paul, and look to our Father day by day for the needs of the day and from that source be the laborer in the harvest that our Father sent you, sent me, to be.