BIG HARVEST, FEW LABORERS - 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Homily for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on (Gospel), (First Reading) and (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

BIG HARVEST, FEW LABORERS

“The harvest is rich but the laborers are few” (Lk 10:2)

 ‘

Gospel: Lk 10:1-9

Verse After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^a others and sent them out ahead of him,^b in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.

Footnote ^a says “Var ‘seventy’”; and Footnote ^b  says “Not, as in 9:52, to arrange for lodgings etc., but to prepare souls for his coming.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 9:1-2 -  He summoned the Twelve^a  and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases (v. 1), and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.  Footnote ^a   says “Add ‘apostles’.”

2.       Qo 4:9 - Better two than one by himself: since thus their work is really profitable.

Verse 2 says: He said to them,^c  ‘The harvest is rich but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his harvest. Footnote ^c  says “The collection used by Mt and Lk included a missionary discourse parallel with that of Mk 6:8-11. Lk has made use of both these sources, but separately (9:3-5; 10:2-12), whereas Mt has joined them together 10:7-16. Cf Lk 11:39+; 17:22+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 9:37-38 - Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is rich but the laborers are few (v. 37); so ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers for his harvest.

2.       Jn 4:36 - The reaper is being paid his wages, already he is bringing in the grains for eternal life, and thus sower and reaper rejoice together.

Verse 3 says: Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Parallel text is Mt 10:16 that says: Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.

Verse 4 says: Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 9:3-5 - He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money, and let none of you take a spare tunic (v. 3).  Whatever house you enter, stay there and when you leave let it be from there (v. 4).  And as for those who do not welcome you when you leave their town, shake the dust from your feet as sign to them (v. 5).

2.       Lk 22:35 - He said to them, “When I sent you out without purse or haversack or sandals, were you short of anything?” “No, nothing,” they replied.

3.       2 K 4:29 - Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck up your cloak, take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, if anyone greets you, do not answer him^e. Your are to stretched out my staff over the child. Footnote ^e  says "‘do not greet him’; sign that one’s mission is urgent.; and Footnote ^f   says “It seems that the staff of Elisha (like that of Moses, Ex. 4:17) is created with magical power, but the sequel will show that no thing can be done without the prophet’s prayer and presence.”

4.       Mt 10:9-15 - Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses (v. 9) with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic, or footwear, or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep (v. 10). Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy, and stay with him until you leave (v. 11) As you enter his house, salute^e (v. 12). And if the house deserves it, let your peace come upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you (v. 13).  And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say as you walk out of the house or town, shake the dust from your feet.^f (v. 14). I tell you solemnly, on the day of judgment  it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.   Footnote ^e  says “The oriental greeting is a wish of peace. In v. 13 this wish is treated in concrete fashion of an entity which, if it fails to secure its effect, nevertheless remains in being and returns to its original owner”;  Footnote ^f  says “The phase is Jewish in origin. The dust of any country other than the Holy Land is reckoned unclean; in this passage the impurity attaches to any place that refuse the word.”

5.       Mk 6:8-11 - And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff^b—no food, no sack, no money in their belts (v. 8). They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not a spare tunic (v.9)’. And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district (v. 10). And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as a sign to them (v. 11).’  Footnote ^b  says “In Mt and Lk the staff is forbidden, but the sense is the same, the missionary must be detached.”

Verses 5,6 and 7 say:  Whatever house you go into, let your first word be, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a man of peace^d  lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house. Footnote ^d  says “Lit. ‘son of peace’, a Hebraism for those who deserve ‘peace’ i.e. all the spiritual and temporal blessings the word implies. Cf. Jn 14:27+.”

Parallel text is 1 Tm 5:18 that says: As scripture says: “You must not muzzle an ox when it is threading out the corn; and again: ‘The worker deserves his pay’.^h Footnote ^h  says “Var. ‘his keep’, cf. Mt 10:10.”

Verses 8 and 9 say:

1.       Mt 3:2 - ‘Repent’, ^b for the kingdom of heaven ^c is close at hand!... Footnote ^b says “Metanoia, rendered ‘repentance’, inspires a change of heart; ‘conversion’ in the technical sense;  and Footnote ^c  says “Instead of ‘Kingdom of God’, cf. 4:17+. The phrase is proper to Mt. and reflects the Jewish scruple which substitutes metaphor for the divine name.”

2.       Mt 10:7 - And as you go, proclaim  that he kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

3.       Ac 28:8 - It so happened that Publius’ father was in bed, suffering from feverish attacks and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after a prayer he laid his hands on the man and healed him.

The First Reading is Is 66:10-14c.

Verses 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14c  say: Rejoice, ^g Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her! Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her! That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast, that you may savor with delight her glorious breast. ^h For thus says Yahweh: Now towards her I send flowing  peace, like a river, and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations. At her breast will her nursling ⁱ  be carried and fondled in her lap. Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you. (And Jerusalem will be comforted). To his servants Yahweh will reveal his hand, but to his enemies his fury.

Footnote  ^g says  “The verb is in the singular with Greek; Hebr. has plural”; Footnote ^h  says ‘her breasts’ trans. Conj.”; and Footnote ⁱ  says “‘her nurslings’ Greek; and you will suck’ Hebr.”

Parallel text is Tb 13:14 that says: Happy are those who love you, and happy those who rejoice over your peace, happy those who have mourned over all your punishment! For they will soon rejoice within the days to come, witnessing all your blessedness.

The Second Reading is Ga 6:14-18.

Verse 14 says: As for me, the only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.^g Footnote ^g  says “This present sinful world, cf. 1:4;4:5;1 Co 1:20;2 Co 4:4; Ep 2:2, etc; Jn 1:10+”

Parallel text is Ga 5:6 says: …since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not counts makes no difference –what matters is faith that makes its power through love.

Verse 15 says: ^hIt does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to become an altogether new creature. Footnote ^h says  “Add, ‘In Christ Jesus’”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 7:19 …because to be circumcised or uncircumcised means nothing; what does matters is to keep  the commandments of God.

2.       2 Co 5:17 - So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

Verses 16, 17 and 18 say: Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who from the Israel of God. I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus.^j  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.  Footnote  ^j  says “ The marks of ill-treatment suffered for Christ, cf. 2 Co 6:4-5; 11:23f.”

Parallel text for verse 16 is Ps 125:5 that says: But the perverts, those who follow twisting paths-may Yahweh send them to join the evil-doers! Peace upon Israel!