My Good Friends,
One of the things I love about today’s readings is that they remind us that God doesn’t wait for perfect people before He calls them.
In the first reading, God tells Israel, “I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.” Before Israel accomplished anything, before they proved themselves, God loved them and chose them. The same is true for us. Our relationship with God doesn’t begin with our achievements. It begins with His love.
St. Paul takes that idea even further. He says that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Not after we got our lives together. Not after we figured everything out. While we were still struggling. God’s love always comes first.
Then we come to the Gospel. Jesus looks at the crowds and sees people who are exhausted, confused, and searching for direction. In other words, He sees people a lot like us. And His response isn’t frustration. It’s compassion. He doesn’t shake His head and walk away. He draws near.
What’s surprising is what happens next. Jesus doesn’t solve everything Himself. Instead, He calls ordinary people—the Twelve—and sends them out. These weren’t experts. They were fishermen, tax collectors, and people with plenty of flaws and weaknesses. Yet Jesus entrusted them with His mission.
That should be encouraging for us. Sometimes we think God can use everyone except us. We imagine that holiness belongs to people who know more, pray better, or have fewer problems. But the Gospel tells a different story. God calls ordinary people and then gives them the grace they need.
St. Francis understood this well. He wasn’t trying to be famous or important. He simply wanted to follow Christ. When he encountered a leper—someone he would normally avoid—he allowed God’s compassion to change his heart. That encounter transformed his life. Francis learned that the Christian life begins when we start seeing others the way Jesus sees them.
The harvest Jesus talks about is still abundant today. All people need encouragement, forgiveness, friendship, and hope. We all are carrying burdens that no one else sees. Most of us won’t be asked to preach to crowds or travel the world. But all of us can offer a kind word, a listening ear, a prayer, or an act of mercy.
The good news is that Jesus isn’t looking for superheroes. He’s looking for disciples, ordinary people. People willing to receive His love and then share it with others.
So the invitation this week is simple: ask Jesus to help us see people with His eyes. If we do that, we may discover that the harvest field is much closer than we thought—in our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and our parish. And we may discover that the ordinary people Jesus is sending into that harvest are us. Amen.
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Zack
