Jesus told His disciples they shouldn't expect Him to provide even a roof over their heads (Lk 9:58). He told them to respond to His call immediately and that continued hesitation would make them unfit for God's kingdom (Lk 9:62). After making such extreme demands on His disciples, Jesus remarked: "The harvest is rich but the workers are few" (Lk 10:2). The obvious reaction to this statement would be to blame Jesus for the scarcity of workers because He demands too much of them. Jesus has a different reaction. He doesn't see any need to water down the call to radical discipleship; He just exhorts us to pray for the Harvest-Master to send workers.
Jesus does not try to sell us but rather to "grace" us. He warned us we'll be like "lambs in the midst of wolves" (Lk 10:3). He promised to send us out without walking staff, traveling bag, or sandals (Lk 10:4). Jesus doesn't try to make discipleship easier. In fact, He seems to intentionally make it harder. True discipleship is impossible without His grace, which is always sufficient (2 Cor 12:9).
When we see a scarcity of priests, sisters, brothers, lay ministers, or parishioners, the answer to the problem is not to compromise and call for less commitment. Instead, the solution is to proclaim the radical nature of the Gospel and pray more intensely for workers to obey God's call.
| PRAYER: | Father, help me to see the situations where I desperately need Your grace. Give me only Your love and Your grace. |
| PROMISE: | "Rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!" –Neh 8:10 |
| PRAISE: | Jesus gave St. Faustina a vision of His mercy as a vast ocean. She spent her life spreading devotion to Divine Mercy. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College