Luke 10:1-12 The Harvest Awaits Laborers

Thursday of the Twenty-Sixth Week In Ordinary Time

(Click here for readings)

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.  He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.  Go on your way..."

Go on your way.  I am so impressed at what Pope Francis has been able to accomplish in such a short period of time.  Thanks in part to Twitter, Facebook and other social media, the Holy Father's daily homilies, inspirational messages and globe trotting experiences have reached the eyes and ears of millions of people throughout the world.

But it was not so easy for the Son of God.  His message, which was the light of the world, did not travel from one village to another at the speed of light but rather by word of mouth.  And though He was the Son of God, Jesus constantly humbled himself by walking on back roads and water, and sharing the Good News with the very least of His brothers and sisters.  To make matters worse, He relied exclusively on the testimony of former tax collectors and prostitutes, ignorant Apostles and doubt-filled disciples to spread his message of love, redemption and salvation.  While the Lord's message was often received warmly by Jews in the surrounding towns and villages, He and his followers were often met with hecklers, protestors and reporters just waiting for him to slip and fall.

But He never did.  So He was pushed and dragged.

It is up to us - His beloved sinners - to continue to share the Good News with family and friends.  What the Pope is doing we too must do.  We can be "Pope" to our family and friends.  We can be "Pope" to our children and grandchildren.  We can be "Pope" to strangers and neighbors.  All we must do is share what we have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears.  All we must do is share with others what God has done for us. 

There will always be happy skeptics.  Always.  In fact, I consider myself an unhappy skeptic; that is, a "good" skeptic, for I have decided to love the truth and to never stop searching for it (or Him).  

Unfortunately, far too many skeptics make one very bad assumption:  that truth is a thing, an all-or-nothing thing, so that you either simply have it or you don't.  This is bad, a very bad assumption that keeps many skeptics happy and content, and far removed from the hunt for truth.  But, as Prof. Peter Kreeft of Boston College would say, "Skepticism is not a home, it is a launching pad."   

Well, how do I know that skepticism won't turn out to be my home too?  Easy.  It contradicts itself.  It says, "The truth is that there is no truth," or "I know that I don't know," or "I'm certain that there's no certainty."  (- Peter Kreeft, Jacob's Ladder, pg. 25).

It is good to be skeptical, especially of our skepticism.

Throughout the centuries, there have been millions and millions of people who were skeptical of Christ, only to become the most fervent of followers and the greatest of saints.