“One of the most touching lines in the Gospel is this: “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36).
Before Jesus says, “Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers,” He first looks at the people. He sees their pain. He sees their confusion. He sees their loneliness. And His heart is moved.
This tells us something important: the call for more laborers does not begin with a shortage of workers. It begins with the compassion of Christ.
First, the harvest is not crops; it is people.
When we hear the word “harvest,” we often imagine fields of rice or wheat. But Jesus is speaking about people. The harvest is every person searching for meaning. It is the young person confused by the messages of social media. It is the family struggling to survive. It is the elderly who feel forgotten. It is the addict longing to begin again. It is the person who has stopped going to church because no one reached out.
Jesus is saying that there are countless people whose hearts are ready to receive hope, forgiveness, and the love of God. The problem is not that God is unwilling to save them. The problem is that there are too few willing to bring them His love.
Second, who are these laborers?
Many people immediately think Jesus is talking only about priests and religious. Certainly, He is. That is why the Church continues to pray for priestly and religious vocations. We need holy priests, generous sisters, dedicated missionaries, and faithful seminarians.
But the Gospel is much broader than that. Every baptized Christian is called to be a laborer. A mother who teaches her child to pray is a laborer. A father who earns an honest living and leads his family to God is a laborer. A teacher who forms both minds and character is a laborer. A doctor who treats patients with compassion is a laborer. A young person who chooses honesty over popularity is a laborer. Wherever God’s love is brought into the world, the harvest is already happening.
Third, why are there so few laborers?
Perhaps because many admire Jesus but hesitate to imitate Him. Many want the blessings of faith but not the responsibilities of discipleship. Many say, “Someone else will do it.”
But Jesus does not say, “The harvest is difficult.” He says, “The harvest is abundant.” There is so much good waiting to be done.
The real shortage is not opportunities to serve. The shortage is generous hearts willing to answer God’s call.
Today, our country needs laborers who will tell the truth in an age of disinformation, who will build unity in a divided society, who will defend the dignity of every human person, who will care for the poor, and who will live the Gospel not only inside the church but also in the workplace, in schools, online, and in public life.
The harvest field today includes social media, families, neighborhoods, offices, classrooms, and even politics.
Passing it on
A traveler once visited a village where children spent every afternoon playing beside a polluted river. An old man was quietly planting trees along its banks.
The traveler laughed and said, “You’re already old. You’ll never live long enough to enjoy the shade of these trees.”
The old man smiled and replied, “I am sitting today under trees that someone else planted for me. Now it is my turn to plant for those I will never meet.”
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That is what a laborer in God’s harvest does. He does not ask, “What will I gain?” He asks, “Whom can I help?”
He does not wait for someone else to act. He begins where he is.
My brothers and sisters, when Jesus says, “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers,” perhaps He is not only asking us to pray for laborers. Perhaps He is also asking us to pray for the courage to become one. Because the answer to that prayer may be the person looking back at us in the mirror.”