Devotional Thoughts for the 4th Sunday after Pentecost - 16th June 2013
Reading: From the Gospel according to St. Luke 10: 1- 16
Dear and Respected Brethren,
By the Grace of God we are entering the 4th Sunday after Pentecost. In today’s reading we learn how our Lord had selected and appointed seventy messengers and prepared them for the field work prior to our Lord’s Public Mission. Our Lord gave a long list to do and not to do. Along with such instructions, the following of our Lord’s remarks are worth enough for our meditation.
1) The harvest is truly is great, but the laborers are few; you pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. (verse-2)
2) Behold I send you forth as lambs among wolves. (verse-3)
3) The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. (verse – 9)
The term harvest is so familiar to all of us as our ancestors were peasants and farmers. The Kerala state, which is often referred as God’s own country, where there were vast areas of paddy fields and paddy agriculture until 30-35 years, remain arid, but with lot of weeds. We often hear from elders that the reason for not cultivating our fields and land is the unavailability of the laborers. To a certain extent it is true. We cannot blame our forefathers, who toiled in the paddy as well as other agricultural fields. They had no problems as the ones faced by the present day generation in having cultivation in the fields held by us. We often forget that the fields or earthly riches are not our own, it is a trust entrusted to us by our Lord God. In today’s reading, though our Lord does not mention about the earthly harvest, still He reminds us to ask to God to send more laborers for His harvest. Let us remember one thing. Harvest and agriculture whether they are earthly or heavenly, belong to God Almighty. We all are meant to do the will of God. If we give prominence to God’s will our efforts would be fruitful. The shortage of laborers is still there in the work of divine works too. Let us pray earnestly for our clergy, monasteries, convents and all the dedicated mission field workers. Let God send more workers to do His will and to continue His mission on earth. Our forefathers used to separate a good portion of the harvest for God at the beginning of the harvest of paddy or any other crop. But the present generation forgot to give the first crop to God and we lost the art of agriculture. Kerala was once known as the land of coconuts and in those days in almost all houses one tree at least was marked separate for the Church and the Parish responsible persons used to have the coconuts from it. In those days we had plenty of coconuts as our own and our coconut cultivation has become a memory only. The reason we could imagine easily.
Elders of these days send their children and grand-children to the Schools and Colleges with a real fear and thought that they are sending the lambs among the wolves. There is no need of explanation, as everyone is gathering information from the visual as well as printed media and we realize what all things are happening in our surroundings. Let us pray with the strong belief that nothing is impossible to God and let God take care of His children. We are living in a world where there is no harmony and peace among the people of various faiths. We all were proud about our mother Country where unity in diversity was. But what is the present real situation? Christians have great responsibility to pray for all others of various faiths as the entire humanity are the children of God. Let us spread the real love and pray for our brethren belonging to various faiths, languages and color.
As and when our Lord and Savior incarnated, the Kingdom of God has come. Are we living in the world or in the kingdom of God? If we are in real love, peace and happiness, we are in God and in His Kingdom. Let us make sure that we do remain in God and with God. Our God has given us the opportunity to be with him. Let us make use of the God given opportunities and let us be the advocates of God’s divine and innocent love.
May God bless us all.
Jose Kurian Puliyeril