“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’” (Mt 9: 37-38).
Our Lord’s request is still valid; we urgently need “laborers for his harvest.” The number of vocations has decreased. Our Lord gave us the solution: “ask the master of the harvest.” Because the vocation to the priesthood is to serve to the community, so the community is responsible for asking.
“I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me” (Gospel Acclamation).
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 7: 21)
Maybe we don’t do “the will of the Father” because we are afraid of this will. Our Father could expect from us holiness in every moment of our life, more fasting, being calm and nice and who knows what more. But “the will of the Father” is very simple – love one another. All His concern is to love.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come to him.” (Gospel Acclamation).
“‘Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.’ …But the LORD was not in the wind…not in the earthquake…. was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.” (1 Kings 19, 11-13)
The Most Powerful God, before Whom all the creation trembles, is not in the wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire but in “a tiny whispering sound. ” Elijah was His prophet and He knew Him. He reacted neither when he heard the wind nor the earthquake, nor fire. He prepared himself to meet with God after a tiny whispering sound. This is the best way to communicate with others – like Our God does.
“Shine like lights on the world, as you hold on to the word of life.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother…” (Mt 5:21-22)
Being angry with your brother (husband, wife, sister, daughter, son…) is like killing him. How often we are angry because we have different expectations towards the other person, as he or she “should do” or “shouldn’t do” something, and so on.
Somebody said that marriage is not 50:50. Divorce is 50:50. Marriage is 100%. My role in marriage is to be a gift of self – 100%; not a demander.
“I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you” (Alleluia versus)
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans … yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” (Acts 2:7.11)
The miracle of “hearing” or of “speaking”? “We hear them speaking in our own tongues.” Theology says that this miracle consisted in speaking. “Speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God”. God gave them the new tongue, a new ability – to proclaim His presence among us.
Today, on Pentecost Sunday, we are asking God to send us the people who will speak in our own tongue about the mighty acts of God. We are surrounded by too much information about what happened in the world; today we need preachers, neighbors, colleagues, fathers and mothers, and friends, who will speak “in our own tongue of the mighty acts of God.”
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of you love.” (Alleluia versus)
For the past six months, our “Homily Team” – including Fr. Jay, the writer, Margaret – the editor and administrator, and Roberto – our translator of homilies into Spanish – had the privilege of working together in this rewarding experience of sharing God’s Word.
Today – we want to say “thank you” to Roberto, who is leaving the Team for some time, for his excellent day-to-day work. But also for all that he brought into the Team not only with his expertise, but also with his personality, experience and wisdom.
Thank you, Dear Brother, and we hope to welcome you back soon.
Margaret, the Harbour’s Editor-in-Chief
“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.” (Rom 12, 9-13).
I like so much this style of St. Paul. Short sentences, many subjects, the most important tips. His advice comes from one of his later letters, he is older, he has spent all his life proclaiming the Good News, establishing new churches in different cities and now is sharing his experience. How to protect love, how to protect relationships, how to protect spiritual life in us and among our dear.
“Come and hear, all who fear God, I will tell what the Lord did for my soul, alleluia.” (Entrance Antiphon)
“So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.” (Jn 21:11)
I like those exact numbers in the Bible. I can even see the disciples counting. And we know that some of these numbers have also symbolic meaning: like twelve (tribes or Apostles) and forty (years or days).
“One hundred fifty-three” probably means apostolic universalism. At that time zoologists catalogued one hundred fifty-three different species of fish. And “even though there were so many, the net was not torn”. The Catholic Church is catholic, which means: universal. “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”
This is my daily observation here in the USA. So many nations, colors and accents, names from all over the world – and we pray together during the same Mass. My brothers and sisters in Poland, in Mexico, in New Zealand, UK or in Belgium celebrate the same mystery of Easter, say the same prayers and recive the same Body and Blood during Communion. “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are able to be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
“Jesus said to his disciples: Come and eat. And he took bread and gave it to them, alleluia” (Communion Antiphon).
“Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her.” (J 20:18)
St. John wrote about Mary Magdalen that she “stayed outside the tomb weeping.” When she found the tomb empty, she started looking for the body of Jesus. Instead of the body – she encountered Him. When “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’,” she recognized Him. She became an apostle for the Apostles by proclaiming Good News to them: “I have seen the Lord.”
Jesus called her by name. He also calls us by our names. I like to imagine how my name sounds when He calls me and where He sends me today.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” (Verse before the Gospel)
“They looked for Jesus” (Jn 11:56)
Today’s world is also looking for Jesus. There is a great hunger in the world for the answer to so many needs. People feel lonely, abandoned, in despair, broken, rejected, misunderstood. They look for the solution in so many places. But only Jesus has an answer to all our questions and needs. Only He knows us perfectly.
When we say: “Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” – “Outside the Church there is no salvation” – it doesn’t mean that salvation is only in the Catholic Church; it means that wherever is salvation, there is Catholic Church: “all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body”(CCC 846-848). When we offer our ministry to the others, the best we can do for them is to help them meet Jesus and His Church.
“They looked for Jesus”. And Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth and the life”. When we follow His ways – which is also our vocation, when we serve the Truth and proclaim Life – we bring Him to other people. And this is your service as a doctors, Creighton Model practitioners, parents, friends, and so on…
“O Lord, do not stay afar off; my strength, make haste to help me! For I am a worm and no man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people” (Ps 22, 20.7) – Entrance Antiphon
