While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it.” – Isaiah 30:21
THE GUIDING VOICE
Lea was sent by her company to Xian, China for a four-day business trip. Since there was no direct flight to Xian, she made a stopover in Shanghai and spent the night in a hotel. The following morning, she went to the domestic airport to
catch her flight. But many flights were canceled due to a blizzard,
causing many passengers to be stranded. Because of the language barrier,
she couldn’t figure out where she should check in her baggage. Fearing
that she might miss her flight, she prayed to the Lord for guidance.
Then she heard a voice-over announcement in Mandarin. Surprisingly, she
somehow understood what was announced. Three people out of the
multitude of stranded passengers stood up and ran, and she followed
them… to the check-in counter for the flight going to Xian.
1ST READING
Isaiah
dreams of more prosperous times. This is a dream we all share at one
time or another in our lives. There is nothing wrong with this dream,
but if it becomes a
fixation that we cannot let go of, then it can become a huge problem
that causes us to fail to appreciate and live the life we have — always
longing for something more. There will always be people who have more
than what we have, no matter how rich we are. Let us choose to live with
what we have and be realistic about future possibilities.
Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26
19 Thus
says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: O people of Zion, who dwell
in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; he will be gracious to you when you
cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. 20 The
Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you
thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes
you shall see your Teacher, 21 while
from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk
in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left. 23 He
will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, and the wheat
that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day your
cattle will graze in spacious meadows; 24 the oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat silage tossed to them with shovel and pitchfork. 25 Upon
every high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running
water. On the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall, 26 the
light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun
will be seven times greater like the light of seven days. On the day
the Lord binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises
left by his blows.
P S A L M
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R: Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
1 Praise the Lord, for he is good; sing praise to our God, for he is gracious; it is fitting to praise him. 2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; the dispersed of Israel he gathers. (R) 3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 4 He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name. (R) 5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power: to his wisdom there is no limit. 6 The Lord sustains the lowly; the wicked he casts to the ground. (R)
GOSPEL
There
is always work to be done in proclaiming the Gospel. The work will only
be finished when Jesus comes again in glory. That will be a great day,
not just because the work of the Gospel will be completed, but also
because we will then share fully in its consummation. We will enter into
our heavenly glory. Let us do everything we can to hasten the coming of
the Day of the Lord.
Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5, 6-8
35 Jesus
went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. 36 At
the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because
they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; 38 so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” 10: 1 Then
he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean
spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. 5 Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, 6 “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
REFLECTION
THE HARVEST IS IN NEED OF LABORERS
It
is a pity when food goes to waste. One of the things I learned as a
child was not to waste food under any circumstances. Of course, we do
not have to eat food that has gone bad or is rotten to start with, but
we ought to be good stewards of the food that we have, as there are many
in the world who go hungry through little or no fault of their own. If
we can develop such sensitivity towards food for the body, how much more
should we be concerned with the food for eternal life — the means of
our salvation?
God sent Jesus on a mission to make known and provide the means for us
to have access to eternal life. When He ascended into heaven, He left
behind many means by which we can continue to access the grace of God
for this purpose. The food or means for eternal life are always present
to us but many are unaware of them or, worse, choose to ignore them.
This is an incredible pity as a life lived with eternity in mind is far
more fruitful than one lived without the goal of eternal life at its center.
The challenge for us Christians is not just to live the Christian life
to the full but to also make known to the world that the grace of God
for salvation is available to us. Jesus makes it freely available to all
who want it. We simply have to choose to avail ourselves of it.
When Jesus laments the lack of laborers in the harvest, He laments that
many are missing out on the opportunity to embrace the Gospel because
we who have already received it are either too apathetic, lazy or selfish to share our
experiences and knowledge with others. Sharing the Gospel is integral
to its meaning and dynamics. This means that while we are privileged to
have received the Gospel, we have a duty to proclaim it at every
opportunity. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
"Jesus, You gave up a lot when You became incarnate on earth. Help me to realize that the cost to me of sharing the Gospel with others is always worth it."
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