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Four minute homilies
Hosted by Joseph Pich · EN
Short Sunday homilies. Read by Peter James-Smith
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The Assumption
4d ago00:03:47Tap to summarizeThe Assumption Today we celebrate the feast day of the Assumption of our Mother to heaven. What can we say about what happened on that day? We haven’t got much information. Saint John witnessed it and didn’t tell us anything. John, you told us all about the life of Jesus, with plenty of details, but you didn’t want to tell us about our Lady leaving earth. She is our Mother too, and we would have liked to know more about her. But you preferred to be silent. We needed to know about how Jesus gave his life for us, but we didn’t need to know how our Mother flew up to heaven. It is better for our imagination; we can let it free. It took the Church a long time to declare the dogma, in 1950. Now we can let our imagination fly and accompany her up to heaven. The apocryphal gospels, those books written by the early Christians to try to fill the gaps, say that the apostles came back to say good bye to our Mother. They say that they came back each in his own cloud, first Saint Peter and then Saint Paul. Maybe John didn’t tell us this because nobody would have believed him. Saint James was already dead and Saint Thomas, as always, arrived late, because he came back all the way from India. We understand why they wanted to be back. We too want to be there to say good bye to our mother. There is a debate about what happened, if our Lady died or not, before she went up to heaven. She would have liked to follow her Son, and die with him on the cross. But Jesus didn’t want her to endure his horrible death. No son wants his mother to suffer. I don’t think Jesus wanted his mother to die either. God wanted her, body and soul in heaven, without her beautiful body experiencing corruption. That’s why she fell asleep. You could call it a sweet death. That’s how saints normally pass away, falling asleep, in a simple and beautiful manner. You die in the way you live. There is a feast in the East called the Dormition of our Lady, dating from the sixth century. According to tradition she fell asleep and they placed her in a tomb. When Saint Thomas arrived, he wanted to see her, and they found out that the tomb was empty. That is why we don’t have any relics from her body. How did she fly to heaven? God has his ways of moving people. Most likely it was a transport of love. When love is very intense, it can do things that reason cannot understand. Love is crazy, endures all things, achieves all things. Love can travel through space and time. There is no better means of transport than going through the people we love. Love fired the engines of her soul and lifted her up all the way to heaven. Tradition says that our Lady’s beauty, which was veiled here on earth so as not to blind human beings, not to drive them crazy, was revealed on her way to heaven, showing her in all her splendour, dazzling angels and saints in all its wonder. They never have seen anybody like that, not even in paradise. The book of Revelation tries to describe her, precisely with the words of Saint John: “A great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” I don’t think it is possible to find a better description of our Mother’s countenance. At last Saint John opened his soul and told us a bit about her Assumption. josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →19 Sunday A Walking on Water
2w ago00:04:00Tap to summarizeWalking on water After a busy day, attending the crowd, healing the sick, comforting the troubled and feeding them, Jesus goes on to pray. While he dismisses the people, the apostles sail to the other side of the lake. None of his apostles accompany him. They wanted to get away from the crowd. They were very tired, and they knew Jesus was going to pray for the whole night. Jesus wanted to spend time alone with his Father God. We too; after a busy day, we need to pray to recover our serenity. Even though we are tired, we need to find the time to pray. The busier we are, the more we need to pray. In one of John Paul II trips to the Philippines, after a very busy day, the nuns went to the chapel at midnight to prepare the Mass for the following day, and they found the Pope praying, prostrated on the floor. From the top of the mountain Jesus sees the boat battling against the wind and the waves. He could see them well. It was full moon, close to the Pasch. These storms are normal on the lake, dangerous for fishing boats. The Fathers of the Church see in this boat an image of the Church, which is always battling against temptations, persecutions, heresies and infidelities. We often complain about the problems in the Church, but there have been always crisis, many times worse than the one we are going through now; and the Church always comes back alive. Jesus is always watching us from the mountain. He let the apostles struggle for a while. He does the same with us. It is good for us to go through difficulties and obstacles, for us to become stronger. It looks like he doesn’t care about us, but he is always watching over us. At the fourth watch, at three in the morning, Jesus came walking on the water of the lake. He is ready to help us whenever we need it. One author says that after praying, Jesus was so inflamed with love, that he didn’t realise he was walking on water. On the other hand I think he wanted to play a trick on them. It made a deep impression on them; all four evangelists mention this event. He looked like a ghost. The white tunic, illuminated by the moon, contrasted with the black background of the water. It must have been very scary. They all cried out; these big men were as afraid as little girls. He had to calm them: “It is I, don’t be afraid.” He always reminds us of this reality, whenever we are afraid: I am always with you. We cannot hide from God. We cannot find a place where God is not. Peter asked Jesus to walk on water: “If it is you.” He was still afraid, not trusting. “Come.” Peter jumped into the water. What did he feel on his feet? Was the surface soft? When he stopped looking at Jesus and realised he was walking on water, he began to sink. When we look at the wind, at the waves, the currents, the problems, the difficulties, we become pessimistic first and then we begin to sink, like Peter. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, specially when we are walking on eggshells. This is what it takes to become a contemplative soul: to keep our eyes on the Lord. Where do I fix my eyes? What am I looking for? Peter cried out: “Lord, save me!” Jesus pulled him out, coming towards him and grasping him with his own hand. He could have commanded him to come out or jump. But he is always ready to pull us out of whatever muddy waters we find ourselves in. He complained: “Oh man of little faith why did you doubt?” How many times Jesus is telling us the same thing: I am with you always. Why don’t you trust me? I can do everything for you.josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →18 Sunday A Multiplication of the Loaves & Fish
2w ago00:03:50Tap to summarizeMultiplication of the loaves and the fish From time to time Jesus used to take his apostles to a deserted place to be alone by themselves. There were so many people coming and going that they needed to be on their own, for Jesus to spend time with them and teach them his message without interruptions. When they arrived to the solitary place, they found a great crowd of people waiting for them. They had seen where they were going by boat and hurried through the land to be there when they arrived. You can imagine the disappointment of the apostles who were looking forward to spending few days alone with Jesus. The Gospel says that Jesus, seeing the people had compassion on them. Saint Mark says that they were like sheep without a shepherd. He healed the sick, listened to their problems, consoled the afflicted and gave them good advice. Jesus is always ready to spend time with us, no matter what the cost, even if we are far away from him. He has a human heart, the same as ours, and he feels in his heart our problems and troubles. After the whole day with them, the apostles asked him to dismiss the crowd, to be able to be on their own. Jesus told them that they must be fed first. They were far away from civilization and because the people had come in such a hurry, they had forgotten to bring food. Jesus not only looked after their souls, but also their bodies. Jesus is not a man with his head in the clouds; he knows what we need. Whenever we complain, he knows what we are going through. He’s been there. He is like us, in all but sin. “Give them something to eat.” Their response was predictable: we don’t have any food, we don’t have money, and the shops are far away; we have only five pieces of bread and two fish, not enough for us. It is easy to complain. The apostles wanted the people to go away to be able to stay alone with Jesus. Jesus is telling them: do something. He is telling us the same whenever we complain: do something; you can fix the problem. Jesus tells them: “That’s enough. Bring the bread and the fish to me.” Jesus doesn’t need anything to perform his miracles. But he wants to use our talents, our will, our time, for us to think we are helping him. He wants to use what we’ve got, as long as we give it to him, as long as we don’t hide it, or keep it to ourselves. We should give Jesus our bread and our fish. We have in front of our altar two fish and four pieces of bread. It is a copy of a mosaic from the church close to Capernaum, from the fourth century, where the actual miracle took place. People ask why there are only four pieces of bread. Because the fifth one it is the Eucharist, which comes on the altar during Mass and becomes the same Jesus that was there two thousand years ago. The same Jesus who performed the miracle. If we believe that Jesus is here, he will perform the miracle again and again in our lives. He can change our human nature into his divinity; he can multiply whatever we have. The miracle happened in a very natural way: nothing fancy. Jesus put the food in two baskets, blessed it and gave it to the people. And the food kept coming out from the same basket. He didn’t attract the attention of the people, to witness his power. It was a beautiful meal. They had the best sandwich of bread and fish ever. The bread was just baked and the fish was recently caught. Afterwards they wanted to make him king, but he ran away. Jesus always gives us the best. josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →17 Sunday A Parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl
4w ago00:04:13Tap to summarizeParables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value Today Jesus in the Gospel presents us two parables about the kingdom of heaven: the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value. Both are very similar; they show us the supreme value of God’s kingdom and what we should do to reach it. But they have some differences: the treasure points towards an abundance of gifts, and the pearl indicates more it’s beauty. We are all attracted to gems and pearls. They sparkle in many different ways, we admire their beautiful colours and we would like to have them, no matter what the cost. We use them to show our affection for our loved ones. People risk their lives to get them and others go to jail for stealing them. We too should risk our lives to go to heaven and achieve it by the struggle we constantly have with ourselves. There is nothing like heaven. Our heart longs for an everlasting life full of goodness and beauty. Peter Kreeft mentions Saint Augustine’s little thought experiment: “Imagine God appeared to you and said: ‘I’ll make a deal with you if you wish. I’ll give you anything and everything you ask: pleasure, power, honor, wealth, freedom, even peace of mind and good conscience. Nothing will be a sin; nothing will be forbidden; and nothing will be impossible for you. You will never be bored and you will never die. Only... you shall never see my face.’ Did you notice that unspeakable chill in you deepest heart at those last words?” Heaven is to see the face of God. To see the face of a person is to recognise his identity, to acknowledge his feelings, to admire his worth. It is difficult to do so these days with people wearing masks. What is heaven for you? For some people it is something nice but far away, somewhere they’d like to go, like the Bahamas, or something they’ll consider when they are close to dying. Many people prefer this earth to eternity. They say: better the devil I know; at least here I can touch things; I don’t know what is going to happen when I die. But eternity is too big to swap for this earth; it is too risky. Pascal’s wager says that it is not fifty, fifty. It is all or nothing; all is all, nothing is nothing. If God doesn’t exist you have a finite loss; if He exists, you have infinite gains. You win more than you lose. Another difference between these two parables is that the treasure is something we come across almost by chance, and the pearl is the result of a lengthy search. Faith, vocation, true wisdom, desire for Heaven, are things which sometimes are discovered suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes after much searching. If God wants to give them to us, we should be eternally grateful. If He wants us to keep searching, it is good for us. We all love a treasure hunt, looking for something we don’t know what it is or where it is hidden. As long as we keep on looking for it, eventually, we will find it. God as a good Father wants us to enjoy the treasure he has prepared for us. He has an infinite number of goodies and sweets, tailored made to our own personal taste. Both men in the two parables have the same attitude and reach the same outcome. They sell everything to buy the field and the pearl; they manage to get it against all the odds, and both come away full of joy and happiness. To obtain the treasure it is necessary to sell everything we possess; otherwise we won’t get what we want. It is the only way to be happy. A good question for us today: What is God asking me to sell now to become closer to heaven? Saint Josemaria used to say that we should walk on this earth with our feet stepping firmly on the ground and with our eyes fixed on heaven.josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →16 Sunday A Parable of the weeds
Jul 1400:04:09Tap to summarizeParable of the weeds These Sundays the parables in the Gospel try to explain the kingdom of heaven: it is impossible. To do so we need an infinite number of parables. We should be very keen to know more about our homeland. The more we know about our goal the more we quicken our pace. It is important for us to fix our eyes on heaven, to look forward to our destination. Jesus has prepared a place for us and we really want to get there. When you plan a trip you look first where is the place you are going and then you figure out how to get there. We know where we are going and we know the way: Jesus is the way, the only way. We need to make sure we don’t get distracted, side tracked, lost or bogged down. Today we have the parable of the weeds. It is easy to understand it. We find weeds everywhere. They upset gardeners and annoy us during our daily lives. They say a weed is a plant out of place. We come across problems all the time. Things normally go wrong or they turn in a different way to how we planned them. We complain about others, about evil in the world and we forget that our hearts are full of weeds. It is easier to see the weeds in our neighbor’s garden. Jesus explains the parable very well. It underlines the drama of our existence. Good and evil, angels and devils: this is what happens behind the scenes. There are not good and bad people; there is good and evil in our hearts, both combined together. And it is up to us to foster the good and shrink evil. At the end of the day evil is a lack of goodness. The servants complain to the master about who has sown the weeds. He answers that the enemy has done it while we were asleep. We need to be vigilant. While we are lazing around the devil is at work. People complain to God asking why does he allow evil to exist? The same happened to Saint Teresa of Avila. She asked God the same question. He answered: I created you. The devil never stops; he is always at work, while we complain. The good news is that God is on our side and he is Almighty. There are three temptations, self-deceptions, that hide evil from us. First indifference: ignore it, do nothing, let me live my life, it is not my business, I don’t care; we should care, we Christians are the good seed. Second arrogance: we are the good ones, we know better, they know nothing, they are ignorant, we know what is right; if we are close to God it is because of him. Third violence: uproot evil, belittle the opposition, ridicule them, abuse them through the social media, spread false news. The best way is what John Paul II did: spread goodness, go around the world talking about God, throw the good seed everywhere. It is more effective to plant than to root out, to sow than to burn. Evil will always be with us. It shouldn’t worry us. God is patient, we should be patient, God is merciful, we should be too. Why does God allow weeds to grow along with the wheat? There are a number of reasons. First for the weeds to become wheat. God can do it. We have our own experience. There is always time for conversion, till the last moment. Some big saints were big sinners. Second for us to become better. In times of persecution we Christians become stronger. Third, God is the only one who can bring good out of evil. God uses evil people for his plans, for us to see that he is in control.josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →15 Sunday A Parable of the sower
Jul 800:04:16Tap to summarizeParable of the sower Today Jesus talks to us with a parable. Why? Because we find difficult to understand his message. He needs to use images, comparisons, material things for us to reach the spiritual ones. We are body and soul, and through our body we reach the soul. The kingdom of heaven is so rich that Jesus needs to use different earthly images for us to understand things better, to grasp some of its aspects. Man before he learned how to write, he began to paint. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Jesus’ parables are ingrained in our culture. When we talk about the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep, people understand what we are talking about. We remember parables better than abstract concepts. In our society, where screens surround us, images are very important. Today Jesus proposes to us the parable of the sower. It is something alien to us. Most of us haven’t seen anybody sowing seeds. These days we use machines for that. In the good old days it was done by hand, throwing the seed as they walked. Jesus is the sower. He throws his seed to us, his graces, his power, and it is up to us to pick them up, to place them in the right soil, to make them fruitful. He respects our freedom; he doesn’t impose himself. He let us be the one to accept his seed, to make it part of our lives, to look after it. He expects from us an attitude of receiving and nurturing. We should be very grateful to his generosity: he always throws an abundance of seed. We shouldn’t squander it. It is very important for the sower to use the right seed. There are big companies always trying to improve the seeds, to yield more fruit, to be resistant to diseases, to withstand frosts, to be able to use less water. Jesus’ seed is the best one. You cannot find a better one. And it is free. It is his word in the Scriptures, his living water in Baptism, the bread of life in the Eucharist, the good wine of Cana, the oil of healing, the absolution in confession, the mustard seed that grows to a big tree, the treasure hidden in a field, the pearl of great value, the net that catches many fish, the two coins of the widow. His seed has the potential of always being fruitful. It is up to us to make it happen. We are the soil. Our heart is the good soil. But we need to prepare it beforehand. It cannot be either too hard or too soft; just right. Our heart sometimes is very hard; we don’t share Jesus’ feelings. We need to soften it, to make it more capable of receiving Jesus’ seed. Maybe we need to go more often to confession, receive communion regularly, make acts of contrition, to apologize or ask for mercy. Maybe it is too soft and crumbles very easily; at the first difficulty it collapses. It needs to withstand strong winds. We need to face obstacles with stronger determination. If our heart is rocky ground, we need to dig the stones out. What are the stones in my life that don’t allow me to see God? If there are thorns, we should pull them out. What are the thorns in my heart that choke the seed? It is not enough to have good soil. We should keep an eye for the right conditions for the seed to grow. The soil should be deep enough for the roots to grow and the plants to establish themselves. We have to plant the seed at the right time, spread fertiliser, water it sufficiently, spray the bugs, prune when it is necessary. It is a little seed that needs to be nurtured, to be planted in the right place, covered from the winds, with enough sun to grow. We cannot fall asleep and leave the plants alone.josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →14 Sunday A To become like children
Jun 3000:03:49Tap to summarizeTo become like children “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones.” God loves children. Jesus complains to his apostles: “Let the children come to me.” It is easy for children to believe in miracles and angels. When we grow up we lose our capacity for the spiritual things. This is why Jesus reminds us that unless we become like children, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. We need to recover the ability to connect with the supernatural, the faith to believe in the other life. Eternity has a small door and we need to diminish to find it and to go through. Our ego is too big to fit in. What are children like? I’ll point out four characteristics that I like in them: humility, simplicity, sincerity and actuality. All these virtues are very important for our spiritual life. Humility. Children are little and they know it. They don’t need to pretend, to show off. Their small stature is always before them. They look up to you, try to climb up things, fall down, mess up, dirty nappies, cry for help. They are helpless. They want to grow up, to become bigger, to dream; they are curious, have a huge capacity to wonder, they hope. All these things help us to see God as a Father and trust in him. We are weak and we need God. Simplicity. People love children because they are transparent: what you see is what you get. They don’t know how to deceive. You can read their minds by looking at their faces. They are innocent, naive, authentic. Whatever they think, they say it. You know where you stand with them. They cry when they are hurt and laugh if they are happy. We spend our whole life hiding our feelings, trying not to say what we think, to pretend we are somebody else. We are very good at deceiving. We can have a number of different lives. We act differently in front of different people. God knows us inside out, perfectly, and he loves us in the way we are. We don’t need to pretend with him. The first thing he tells us when we approach him is: get rid of your fancy dress. We can relax with him. Sincerity. Little children don’t know how to lie. They haven’t learned yet the art of deceiving. They say that the difference between computers and people is that computers cannot lie. Children are easy to catch: they invent unbelievable lies. Mum knows when her children lie; she was there at the first lie and she knows when we lie: we don’t look at her face, we move our ears, we twitch our nose, we frown. What’s the point of trying to deceive God? Actuality. I don’t know how to name this virtue: the art of living in the present time. Children do it naturally. They just play. They don’t care about the past; it doesn’t exist. They don’t think about the future; it is in their parents hands. They move from a smiling to crying in seconds. They can laugh with tears still running down their cheeks. Scripture says that God plays with the children of men. All we need to do is play with him. We don’t need to worry about the past: we have been to confession. Our future is in God’s hands, who is a good loving Father. josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →13 Sunday A Love of God
Jun 2300:03:43Tap to summarizeLove of God “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” It is a very strong statement. Why is Jesus saying this? Because we have been created to love God above everything. This is our inner make up, our only way to be happy in the long run. We have to put God first, we need to centre ourselves around him. The Bible reminds us a few times of this, that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind.” Is this possible? Look at the saints. They did it, with the help of God. They gave their lives to God. Can you love a person more than to give your life for him or for her? Looking at the history of the Church we see many people have dedicated their lives to God. Unless we give ourselves to God, he is not going to give himself to us. How much do I love God? How much are we ready to do for Him? Are we ready not to offend Him? Are we ready to do His will? Love is different from emotions and feelings. It is a matter of the will. We can choose who we want to love. It can be an attraction at the beginning, but afterwards there is a decision from the will. We love God with our intellect and will. We cannot love what we don’t know. The more we know God, the more we love Him. The more we discover who God is, the more we will fall in love with Him. There is nobody like God. How do I love God? How do you love others? The same way we love people, we love God. We have only one heart. Some people think that we have two hearts, one to love God and another to love others. We can also think that to love a person we need to see that particular person. People love characters in their imagination, girls fall in love with actors they will never meet. We love our loved ones dedicating time to them, spending time with them, doing things for them, offering them gifts, telling them that they matter to us, giving ourselves to them, making sacrifices for them. It is the same with God. Human love depends on another person. This person can let us down, become crazy, get tired of us, can find somebody else better than us. Divine love depends only on you; the ball is in your court. God is always willing. He is very patient, He is always there for us, ready to forgive and forget. We won’t find anybody else like Him. And yet we always keep looking for somebody else. Do I know how to love? We think we do, but maybe we only know how to love ourselves. Love is an art that has to be learnt and practiced. With God we have to give first. We think that because He has everything, He is supposed to give us whatever we need. But as a good father, He doesn’t want to spoil us; He wants us to grow strong and mature. Therefore He expects us to give first. When we are generous with Him, He is much more generous with us. He always gives us what we need. And we cannot forget that true love requires time and dedication.josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →12 Sunday A Body and Soul
Jun 1600:03:45Tap to summarizeBody and Soul “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” “Be not afraid” is the verse in the Bible most googled by people. We are afraid of the future, of the unknown, of whatever could happen to us. These are the first words that came out of the mouth of John Paul II when he was elected Pope. He was a man who feared no one: he survived nazism and comunism; he was an orphan and had no close relatives. Jesus is telling us the same today: don‘t be afraid because I am with you always. Just be afraid only of whatever can kill your soul: sin. What are we afraid of? They say that you know a person when you know what he or she is afraid of. Our soul can be wounded, sometimes grievously. The good news is that our soul is immortal and it can be revived by confession. We believe that we have a soul. Some people deny it. We cannot identify the soul in the body, but we can experience our spiritual powers. Some people emphasise the unity of body and soul, that we are one; others look at the two different realities than can only be separated by death. We are normally more concerned about our body than our soul. Our body is more visible, we are constantly aware of it unless we are sleeping. We can let our soul sleep, but we cannot stop looking after our body. Why is the world so afraid of a little virus called coronavirus? Because it cannot control it. It is a little thing we cannot see and it could attack us any time. But we are not scared of other viruses that are more dangerous and they can cause more damage: temptations, addictions, vices, evil deeds, the seven capital sins. These are the things that we need to be afraid of, and protect ourselves against. We wear masks not to infect others, but we gossip, we criticise others, we talk about people behind their backs: we are throwing other kinds of viruses at people. We keep a social distance, but we watch a lot of rubbish on television and YouTube. We sanitise our hands, but we are not going often to confession to sanitise our souls. We keep all the rules and regulations for the lockdown decreed by the government, but we are not doing what God wants us to do. We are more concern about our body than our soul. Our body is recyclable, but our soul is going to exist for ever. We cannot change much of our body, our height or the colour of our eyes, but we can do a lot to make our soul more beautiful. Look what the saints have done with their souls. We ought to be in a hurry because we have only few years to go. We should pray about the things that separate us from God, and how we can protect ourselves against those viruses. The coronavirus will come and go. These spiritual viruses are with us all the time. We stop our nation for a virus that can kill our body, but we don’t think much about our souls. We can pray about the things that help us to kill these spiritual viruses and protect us from them. What gives me peace or what makes me angry? What helps me to become closer to others or what separates me from them? What moves me to be generous or what induces me to be selfish? In summary, what are the good and the bad spiritual viruses. josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →11 Sunday A The harvest is plentiful
Jun 900:03:38Tap to summarizeThe harvest is plentiful Today in the Gospel we read that “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.” Jesus is moved by compassion and he feels the need to help us when we are anxious and depressed. It is great to see that Jesus knows our troubles and he is ready to find a way to solve our problems. Most of them are created by our own imagination, pride or selfishness. Instead of feeling down and full of self-pity, we should go to Jesus asking for help. He is the only one who can fix them completely. Then he says to us: “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” There is plenty of work to be done in the harvest of the Lord. There is no unemployment. These days governments find it difficult to create jobs for everyone. The job market is constantly changing, and it is not easy for universities to figure out what’s going to happen in the future. They say that people are being prepared now for jobs that are not going to exist in the future. Nevertheless the harvest of the Lord is always there, every generation a new one, and there is always work for the apostle. The reward is excellent: a hundred percent here and eternal life afterwards. You cannot find better return in any other business. Jesus is telling us today that he needs people to give him a hand, to make this world better. He does it in a subtle way: pray to the Lord that he sends workers. Looking around we realise that there is a need for people to give their lives to God. He doesn’t need us; he can do everything by himself, but he wants us to cooperate with his work of salvation. He wants us to think that we are doing something useful. Like a father when he allows his toddler son to help him in the garden. He is more than a nuisance, but he thinks he is helping dad big time. The same happens with us when we give God a hand. We see that nowadays not many people are ready to give their lives to Jesus. Maybe they can do something for God for a while, for few years, but their whole life? Young people are afraid of commitment: How do I know what the future is going to be? Maybe I’ll change my mind. They think that their lives are precious. We need to compare our lives with God: Who am I in front of an Almighty God? What Jesus is telling us today is that all we need to do is to ask. How often do we pray for vocations, for priests and religious life? Sometimes we complain about the lack of good priests, but we don’t pray enough for them. We have the shepherds that we deserve. Why there are only few labourers in the Lord’s harvest? Why is not God sending more people if there is so much evil in the world? Because Jesus normally uses few people to reach big crowds. He chose only twelve apostles at the beginning, to be the foundations of his Church. You don’t need much yeast to bring up the dough. Today it is a good day to think if we are ready to give our lives to God; if we want to give him a hand. This readiness should be the disposition of every Christian. josephpich@gmail.com
Transcribe →