Fr Matthew Reese

“And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’.”
—Luke 10:2

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today’s Gospel lesson comes from Luke 10 and the famous scene of the sending out of the seventy disciples.

For those of you who grew up in Roman Catholic parochial schools, especially in an older era, you might remember these lines from the periodic “vocations days,” when priests and nuns would talk about seminary and religious life.

Certainly the “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” has a particular resonance for ordained and consecrated vocations, but we shouldn’t be limited by that.

On Sunday, I preached about this in-between time of Ascensiontide, and how it reminds us that we—the Church—are the body of Christ on earth. And that this body has many members, each with different gifts and roles and charges.

So, what are we being called to in this moment?

For some of us, indeed, it may be an ordained vocation. Today is a particularly good day to keep in mind and pray for our seminarians, and for people who might be discerning a call in their spiritual lives.

But all of us are being called to something.

Each and every Christian has a vocation.

As we head into—hopefully—quieter days this summer, I encourage you to think about where your gifts might be best used.

Where is God calling you in this moment? Is there a new way for you to learn, to deepen in your spiritual life, to give of your time and talents? Is there some ministry of Saint Philip’s—or the Diocese or the national Church—where you might serve?

Find it. Seek it out.

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Matthew