Word to the Wise
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - Tuesday in the 14th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 32:23-33 and Matt 9:32-38]Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the KIngdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." [Matthew]
Praying for "vocations" to the priesthood and religious life is a common occurrence in Catholic parishes. The words of Jesus in today's gospel passage from the Gospel According to Matthew are often quoted in the efforts of dioceses and religious orders to challenge young adults to consider a life of service as a priest or consecrated religious. The programs are numerous and include such things as the "Andrew" program whereby young men are invited to dinner with the bishop or "Come and See" weekends at houses of formation or motherhouses of women's congregations. My own Southern Dominican province sponsors, together with the Central Dominican Province, such a weekend twice a year up in St. Louis where our joint "studium" [seminary] is located. We have a friar who is dedicated full time to meeting with potential candidates. All these efforts do bear fruit but the competition from social and cultural forces is considerable. One simple example is found in the declining birthrate in the USA, which means fewer potential candidates, not to mention parents who want to become grandparents!!!
As important as all these efforts are, it has to be said that every baptized person has a vocation to proclaim the "Gospel of the Kingdom." If "the laborers are few," it may be due to the idea that developed after the Council of Trent (1545-1561) that proclaiming the gospel belonged solely to the clergy and religious!! The laity were told to "pray, pay and obey." To become a priest or religious is a specific and wonderful way of living out one's baptismal commitment, but it is not the only way. Although lay participation in functions once reserved to priests and religious has increased, especially in liturgical celebrations, the task of proclaiming the kingdom is much broader than liturgical participation. The "ordinary" vocation to marriage is a rich source of raising awareness of what a "vocation" truly is: the baptismal call to bear witness. If the laborers are few, it may be because awareness of the baptismal vocation must be better proclaimed so that the Gospel of the Kingdom can, in turn, be better proclaimed! AMEN