of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.

Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives
there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that
house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from
house to house.

When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say
to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’

Reflect:

When the harvest is plentiful, will the Lord of the harvest refuse to send laborers to reap the
harvest? Absolutely not! So if we have shortage of vocations, perhaps it is not God who is
failing us, but we are failing him by our multi-layered ‘no’ to his call. God continues to call
people to work in his vineyard; but we are either so busy with our own worldly affairs, like
those guests invited to the marriage feast (cf. Lk 14:15-24) or are totally oblivious to the
call. In many parishes, we hold special prayers and adoration for increase in vocations to
priesthood and religious life; but honestly speaking, how many parents encourage their
children to consider such a vocation? Of course, one can work for God’s Kingdom in
manifold ways as a layperson; but do we cultivate in our children this sense of vocation
to witness to Christ in the secular world as lay members of Christ’s Church? May St. Luke’s
life inspire us.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2022