He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way;
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. In choosing to follow Jesus Christ, we say “no” to those people, places and things that try to lead us away from God’s love, i.e. that which opposes the cross of Jesus Christ. We do not run from the cross, but embrace the cross, just as Jesus did! The world here symbolizes not the environment which we live, but the “old” sinful self that has been recreated by the Passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, everything old has passed away, see, everything has become new. (2Cor:17)
We must allow Jesus to “recreate us”. When we open our heart to Jesus, confess our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are recreated by His divine mercy. When we hold on to our sins, we can only experience sadness. When we confess our sins, we experience the joy of victory – the victory of Jesus Christ, shared with us. Here, we encounter the love of Jesus Christ, as we do in each of the sacraments. We experience the life-changing power of Jesus Christ to heal us, restore our relationship with our God and be strengthened in resolve to avoid sin.
We may be asking why would Jesus tell the disciples in today’s gospel to take nothing on their journey? Jesus is their only true possession. Jesus sends us out as laborers for his harvest. We too rely on Jesus, knowing that He is with us in Word and sacrament to strengthen us.
God bless us all always! Deacon Mike