Homily For Saturday First Week of Advent Year B, 9th December, 2023

Readings Isaiah 30:19-21,23-26; Ps 147; Matt. 9:35-10:1,5,6-8

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

YOU ARE THAT LABOURER THE LORD NEEDS TO SAVE HELPLESS AND SINFUL HUMANITY

 

Walking through the streets I observed how people are struggling to survive in this passing world. I saw their passion, their determination and their willingness to achieve great things in life at the expense of things that prepare us for eternal life. Then my mind turned towards the words of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, when he saw the crowds and had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest’.

 

Here, Jesus reveals God’s compassion towards humanity who were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. He then says to his disciples that there is a huge harvest waiting to be reaped. Calling on us to pray for God to send labourers into his harvest. Just as we heard the prophet Isaiah in our first reading today reminding us of God’s promises saying: Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: People of Zion, who dwell at Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will be gracious to you when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer.

 

Thus, we can see that this compassionate love of Jesus in its historical and physical solidarity with human suffering, springs from the love of God the Father and constitutes the basis of the Church’s liberating missionary activity, which is meant to spread throughout the world, hereby calling us into action. Hence, more labourers are needed, for Jesus sees how humanity is harassed and dejected, wandering like sheep without a guiding shepherd. And because the souls of everyone in the world are so precious to Jesus, he needs many more labourers.

 

Therefore, the harvest is as big as ever and people are getting lost and clueless as never before. But who are these labourers? They are not just bishops, priests, or religious men and women. But every baptized person is called in a different capacity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those around him/her. So each of us has a vocation, a call to save souls and build the Kingdom of God together.

 

Dear friends, you are that labourer the Lord needs to save helpless and sinful humanity. But how are we carrying out this mission and mandate of Christ? How strong is our compassion towards others? Do we know people who are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them and saying something to them. Do we feel harassed and helpless as a result of what we are going through in life? Do we feel the need for Jesus’ help in some part of our life? Then turn to him and be restored.

 

So, today, each one of us is called to reach out to people at any particular corner of the field of harvest where we find ourselves now, for we may be the last and only person who may have access to evangelize the people. Starting from our families, neighbours, colleagues in the office and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that we may be the only people who can bring the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace and courage to be faithful labourers in your vineyard, who will labour to bring your compassionate love to suffering souls who need to hear the Good News of Jesus. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed weekend.