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The Harvest is Abundant, but the Laborers are Few!
If you travel overseas, you realize how we are blessed as a nation. We celebrate our nation’s birthday this week, giving thanks to God for the freedom, blessings, and values that we enjoy as a nation. More than being the mightiest country in the world, more than being the country with most resources and opportunities, we are proud of our nation for promoting the primacy of the human person and respecting every single person as reflected in our national charter. The Declaration of Independence (1776): “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator, with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These we deem self-evident. A similar spirit is evident in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
These convictions have not come from a vacuum. They are based on a long history of a culture that has been nurtured and transformed by the Gospel. That is what ultimately evangelization will do, namely, a transformation of a culture and people by the Word and Power of God from within. This is done by protecting human dignity of every person, promoting integral human development in solidarity with all, and by eradicating all dehumanizing elements such as sickness, starvation, ignorance, oppression, and poverty. In that regard, we still have a long way to go here and abroad. This means we still have a long way to go in the work of evangelization.
Jesus commissioned the 72 to into the various places to declare 'Peace to this household.' Cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.' 72 symbolizes universality. “Proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:18); “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:18-20; cf. Mk 16:15-18; Lk 24:46-49; Jn 20:21-23). This missionary mandate is ever before us.
We are the Church in the world, which means when people see us, they are to see Christ and know His presence. This is a daunting challenge, but we endeavor to do just that because Jesus promised to be with us until the end of time. We continue the work of Christ through our witness and such activities as dialogue, human promotion, commitment to justice and peace, education, and the care of the sick, and aid to the poor and to children.
God is eager for all of us to know how much he loves us. Nothing in the whole world is more urgent than proclaiming the Kingdom of God at hand. People who live in darkness of despair and desperation need to see the light; they need to know how much God loves them. Jesus tells us today as he did 2000 years ago: The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few!
Fr. Paul D. Lee