7th July, 2020. Tuesday of week 14

1st Reading: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13

As penalty for their sins, they shall return to slavery in Egypt

They made kings, but not through me;
they set up princes, but without my knowledge.
With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.

Your calf is rejected, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
For it is from Israel, an artisan made it; it is not God.
The calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces.
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads, it shall yield no meal;
and if it were to yield, foreigners would devour it.

When Ephraim multiplied altars to expiate sin,
they became to him altars for sinning.
Though I write for him the multitude of my instructions,
they are regarded as a strange thing.
Though they offer choice sacrifices, though they eat flesh,
the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity, and punish their sins;
they shall return to Egypt.

Responsorial: from Psalm 115

R./: The house of Israel trusts in the Lord

Our God is in the heavens;
whatever he wills, he does.
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,
the work of human hands. (R./)

They have mouths but cannot speak ;
they have eyes but cannot see;
They have ears but cannot hear;
they have noses but cannot smell. (R./)

With their hands they cannot feel ;
with their feet they cannot walk .
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone that trusts in them. (R./)

Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38

Jesus heals, teaches and proclaims the reign of God, for the harvest is ready

After Jesus cured the blind men and they went away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”

The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few

In the Gospel of today we hear Jesus saying “the harvest is rich but the labourers are few”. Most often we relate this statement to vocations in the church, but Jesus also speaks through these words about the harvest of one’s heart and the fruits of one’s soul. In each person is a soul created by God, and each soul is capable of being completely filled, as much as it is able: that is, to be “perfected” by God’s grace.God gives each one of us many gifts, but only when we talk with God and are strengthened by Him do we learn how to use those gifts correctly, in accordance with His plan.  

Lord Jesus Christ, You have told us that there is bountiful of harvest in Your Fathers land but the labourers are few. Lord, make me Your labourer and give me the strength to work for You. Help me do my part and I will get my wages on the last day. Amen