Daily Reflection for Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Tuesday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070720.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13
Responsorial: Psalm 115:3-10
Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38
Our reflection on Tuesday’s readings:
“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.” Matthew 9:38
Every year I plant a vegetable garden in the Spring with naive enthusiasm and expectations of a bountiful harvest to add healthy fresh food to our dinner table. After a few weeks, I often lose interest and leave the garden to fend for itself against the weeds and the heat of Summer. What follows is irregular interventions of weed pulling and watering, not daily nurturing. Our garden harvest often reflected the lack of care throughout the Summer.
Slowly over the years I came to realize that gardens need regular nurturing. Vegetables need water and fertilizer. They also need protection from weeds, marauding rabbits, squash bugs, and caterpillars. The idea that just planting my garden in the Spring and letting nature fulfill my desire for bushels of fresh food was lacking. I now visit my garden daily to pull weeds and water as necessary.
Part of being a good gardener is knowing when to harvest. As you can see, the word harvest was the keyword that touched me in this reading.
Spiritual life can be like that garden. Our spiritual lives need nurturing daily. There are spiritual weeds to pull, scripture to read, hearts to heal, and Christ's light for growth. We must pull out weeds, water, and provide regular fertilizer if we want to see beautiful flowers, smell their fragrance, and harvest food in our spiritual gardens.
Even an abundant garden needs harvesting. In today's Gospel, Jesus asks us to pray for laborers to help the harvest, not of flowers or vegetables, but souls. Jesus cared for and had sympathy for the people. He cured them and taught them the Good News. He gave Himself for us.
Today's prayer is, "Lord, please be gentle with me, but pull my weeds and heal me with your love so I can help with the harvest." Amen.
Love and Blessings, Deacon John McShea