14th Week of Ordinary Time 2021 - Wednesday - Our apostolic mission

 I read in an article from Catholic News agency this morning that the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont has reported a record-low number of priests this year, with only 50 diocesan priests ministering to the entire state of Vermont. 50 priests for 110,000 Catholics. What’s going on up there? 

In just a few verses prior to today’s Gospel, the Lord announces that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. But why are there SO few? 

Before sending out the 12 in the Gospel today, the Lord first teaches them to pray, he instructs them and forms their minds by his teaching, and then he calls them by name. This is how the Church works and has worked for two thousand years.  

So what’s going on up in Vermont? Quite simply we could say there’s a priest shortage. But why? My guess is there has been a failure to form disciples who understand the importance of the mission of the Church—a failure to teach the importance of prayer, basic church doctrine, and helping young people hear the Lord calling them by name, to know that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

While on vacation last week, I attended a church down in florida where the music was so trite, the preaching so insipid, and the celebration of mass by the priest was so irreverent, I nearly cried. What young person would be converted by this ? How could they even hear the Lord calling them amidst such dribble? It was closer to hell than heaven! And it was a beautiful church building too, but a beautiful building is not enough!

Hunger was felt throughout Egypt, in our first reading. Sometimes spiritual famine does strike the Church in certain places due to reasons beyond our control. And in those times, we certainly do well to pray, in the words of the psalm today, to preserve us in time of famine. 

But what is in our control is that every Catholic is an apostle sent out by the Lord, with the responsibility to feed the spiritually hungry and to help form the next generation of missionary disciples: by ourselves and families practicing fervent prayer, passing on the faith clearly without compromise with worldly errors, helping others to encounter the living Lord in the Church’s worship and the sacraments.

May we be faithful to the Church’s work in this place and this time in announcing the Gospel, forming disciples, and laboring without tiring for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the Bishops, the successors of the Apostles, will wield their authority wisely and courageously in standing against the unclean spirits and evils of this age.

For all those who hunger for the Word of God, that all members of the Church will be faithful in leading them to the one who satisfies every hunger.

For the protection of young people from the corrupting influences of the world, for Christians families, and for the conversion of the faithless.

For the sick, suffering, and sorrowful, for miracles for hopeless causes.

For the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.