“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray
earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his
harvest.” Matthew 9: 37-38
A simple quote from today’s Gospel speaks volumes to
me. There is so much going on in our world right now that it is sometimes hard
to keep up with it all. Watching the news is a harsh reality right now as there
is so much pain and suffering, war and violence, natural disasters and record
temperatures. Time is marching on in a feverish pace.
One of the most tragic stories this week was that of Camp
Mystic which was washed away in a storm surge. Two dozen campers are missing
and there is a mass effort to find them. The governor of Texas is not giving up
hope for their survival. He stated that we need to move fast and find them,
until they are found the presumption is that they are still alive. I can not
fathom the pain and suffering of their families. We need to hold them and their
families in prayer and not lose hope.
Jesus told His followers to offer peace to those who welcome
them and if the were not welcomed to leave. In our current world we need to offer
deep peace to one another. We need to be willing to take the risk of rejection
and move on if necessary. Our times call for a great deal of letting go and
letting God take the lead. We can become rather dismal about our current reality,
but we need to remember that God is always by our side leading us day in and
day out. May we always be welcoming of others and may we always be welcomed.