by: Deacon Adel Abrugena
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Gospel, Jesus says something very simple but very challenging: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.”
When we hear the word harvest, we usually think about crops that have grown and are ready to be gathered. But Jesus is talking about people.. people who are searching, people who are hurting, people who are lost, people who are waiting to hear the Good News. And so I want to begin with a question: What harvest are we losing in the Church today?
Maybe the harvest is not being lost because there are no people. Maybe it is being lost because we don’t see them. Think about the people we encounter every day. The person at work who is struggling with a marriage. The neighbor who has not been to Mass for years. The young person struggling with loneliness. The person grieving the loss of a loved one. The elderly person who rarely has anyone visit. The Catholic who still comes to Mass but has slowly become disconnected from God. They are all around us. That is the harvest.
Sometimes we are so busy with our own lives that we fail to recognize the opportunities God places right in front of us. And when Jesus says, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few,” notice that He does not say, “The priests are few.” He says, “the laborers are few.” That means the mission of bringing people to Christ is not only the responsibility of priests, deacons, religious, or parish staff. It belongs to all of us. Every baptized Christian is called to be a laborer in God’s harvest.
I think about my own journey. As a young boy, I had a desire to become a priest. But life took me in a different direction. I entered the military, became an Army officer, served for many years, came to this country, became a husband and father, and eventually found myself answering God’s call to the diaconate. Looking back, I can see that God was working through every chapter of my life. But I didn’t always recognize it at the time. God was planting seeds long before I understood what He was doing.
And perhaps that is how God works in the lives of the people around us. We may be standing in someone’s harvest without realizing it. Maybe God has placed you beside that co-worker for a reason. Maybe that neighbor who asks you questions about your faith is not just being curious. Maybe that person who has been away from the Church needs someone to invite them back. Maybe someone who is grieving needs somebody to sit beside them and say, “I’m here. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
For me, one concrete example of this has been my involvement with Couples for Christ. CFC has taught me that evangelization is not simply about bringing people into a program. It is about reaching families, helping husbands and wives grow in Christ, strengthening marriages, and building a community where people can experience God’s love through one another.
And I have seen something beautiful happening in our CFC faith community. Brothers and sisters are stepping up.Some may have never imagined themselves as leaders. Some may have busy jobs, families, and responsibilities. But when they see a need, they say, “Maybe I can help.” They accept responsibility. They lead a household. They serve as unit leaders. They help with Christian Life Program. They accompany another couple. They open their homes. They give their time.
That is what Jesus is talking about when He says, “the laborers are few.” The Church does not grow simply because there are more people sitting in the pews. The Church grows when people are willing to step forward and say, “Lord, use me.”
And sometimes we think ministry means having a title or joining a committee. Those are wonderful ways to serve, but ministry is much bigger than that. Ministry begins with awareness. We have to learn to see people the way Jesus sees them. Instead of always asking, “What do I have to do?” perhaps we should begin asking, “Lord, whom are You putting in front of me?”
Maybe your ministry is inviting someone to Mass. Maybe it is praying with someone who is hurting. Maybe it is encouraging for a young person. Maybe it is helping a struggling couple. Maybe it is volunteering in the parish. Maybe it is saying yes when someone asks you to serve. And maybe God is calling some of us right now to step beyond simply attending and become servant leaders in our parish, in CFC, or in another ministry of the Church.
My brothers and sisters, here is the challenge I want to leave with you: This week, when you wake up, ask God one simple question: “Lord, show me Your harvest today.” Then keep your eyes open.
Who needs encouragement? Who needs an invitation? Who needs someone to listen? Who needs to be reminded that God has not forgotten them? And perhaps most importantly, where is God asking you to step forward and serve?
The harvest is still abundant. There are families that need healing, marriages that need encouragement, young people who need direction, and souls that need to hear the Gospel. The question is not whether the harvest is there. The question is whether we are willing to see it and whether we are willing to become laborers.
So let us not wait for somebody else. Let us not say, “Someone will do it.” Let us pray for the grace to step forward.
Lord, open our eyes to Your harvest. Give us the courage to notice, the compassion to care, and the humility to serve. Raise up more laborers in Your Church. And when You call us, whether in our families, our parish, our workplace, or our CFC community, may we have the courage to say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
Because sometimes the harvest God wants us to gather is standing right in front of us.
Let us see it. Let us step forward. And let us serve.
Amen.