As the old saying goes, I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news.
First
the bad news. There were no young men
ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Rochester this past year. Now I’m only speaking of ordinations to the
diocesan priesthood - Bishop Clark did ordain Brother Isaac to the priesthood
at the Abbey of the Genesee. But in our
diocese – no priestly ordinations.
Further bad news – there was only one the year before, and I think none
the year before that. Maybe one the year
before that.
Now
the good news – wonderful news, actually - there were four young men ordained
as transitional deacons this past year, and, God willing, will be ordained to
the priesthood next year. And more good
news – there are more than twenty men in the formation process, discerning a
calling to the priesthood in our diocese.
All
of this came to mind as I was reading and praying on today’s Gospel from St.
Luke, whose feast we celebrate today, especially where St. Luke quotes Jesus
“the harvest is plenty but the laborers are few.” As one of the early Church’s greatest
laborers, Luke knew this all too well.
In our first reading from thes second letter to Timothy, Paul tells us
that only Luke has loyally stayed by his side in his apostolic journey. It was Luke who wrote down for all of us one
of our four Gospels, and it was Luke who beautifully chronicled the history and
growth of the early Church, including Pentecost and the travels of Paul, in the
book we now know as the Acts of the Apostles.
So
Luke knew all too well what those words of Jesus meant – the harvest is plenty
but the laborers are few. I’m afraid, at
least in our own part of the world, that he would not find our own time that
much different – we have decreasing religiosity and increasing secularism. Especially among our young people. Never has the need been greater for Jesus
Christ to transform peoples’ hearts and lives and transform our society. The harvest is indeed great and who will be
the workers Jesus calls?
Indeed,
we are ALL called to be workers in the field and are all called by our baptism
to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ out of these four walls and into the
world. We are all called to be
light to the nations and the leaven of Christ to those around us. If we are truly to see a new dawning, a new
Evangelization, then all of the Faithful must partake.
But
we’re fueled by the Sacraments
especially the Eucharist, and without our Sacramental life, our Church
is deprived of its greatest power, its greatest grace. And the Sacramental life of the Church relies
on there being enough “special” harvesters – our beloved priests - to serve the
Church so that we may be light in the world.
So
on this feast of St. Luke, let us answer the Lord’s command and ask the Harvest
Master, our Father in Heaven, to send workers to the harvest. If we are of an age where we ourselves may
prayerfully consider a vocation to the priesthood, the permanent diaconate or
the consecrated religious life, let us ask the Lord for the grace to do just
that, to listen to His calling, and follow His will in our lives. And if we are past that age, let us be mindful
to ask in our every day prayer that the Lord send good and faithful laborers so
that Christ may present a bountiful harvest to His Father who is Lord forever
and ever. Amen.
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