Can't Have Too Many Laborers

Dec 3. Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier

Today' is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, one of the greatest missionaries since Paul. He traveled to the far east, including India, Japan, and China, where he died, 7,600 miles from home. He was also one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, who have been great Catholic teachers for hundreds of years.

It’s pretty easy to see why today’s readings were chosen for him.

Reading 1

IS 30:19-21, 23-26

Thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or to the left.

He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day your flock will be given pasture and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows; The oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat silage tossed to them with shovel and pitchfork. Upon every high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running water. On the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall, The light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater like the light of seven days. On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises left by his blows.

Kids need teachers, but so do grown ups. None of us know anything, and that’s why we need the Great Teacher. He has shown us the way through the prophets and Moses (and eventually Jesus), but any teacher will tell you, just reading from the book isn’t always enough.

The second half of this reading is kinda… unrelated? Like, a transition would be nice. (Don’t worry, you’re not missing anything with verse 22.) It’s all about blessings that a farming culture could appreciate.

This happens sometimes with readings, where you take stuff out of context and they no longer hang together. It’s because Isaiah is one long meditation on the Babylonian exile. If you were to hear it all at once, it would be like a preacher flowing from one topic to the next. But in these half dozen verses, it’s jarring. But that’s the nature of the liturgy, and I don’t envy a priest trying to tie all this together in his homily.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (see Isaiah 30:18d)  Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers. 
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.
Great is our LORD and mighty in power:
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.

As Isaiah is about the exile, this Psalm is about bringing Israel back together (written before the exile, of course). But it’s a reminder that as bad as things get, you may want to quit, but God is there to help you keep going.

Alleluia

IS 33:22

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The LORD is our Judge, our Lawgiver, our King;
he it is who will save us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Judges and lawmakers are (should be) educated. Their labor is being knowledgeable, just like Francis Xavier.

Gospel

MT 9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8

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.” 

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. 

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Jesus is doing the work he was sent to Earth to do, heal the sick and preach the Gospel. But as one man (he is both fully God and fully Man, remember), he can’t do everything. So, he sends out his laborers. They, too, can cure the sick, drive out demons, and so on.

At the time, Jesus only sends them to Israel. He’s not expecting them to go among the Gentiles. But that doesn’t mean he’s leaving them out; this is just a starting point. First Jesus, then the apostles, who pass down their authority to bishops and priests, who go on mission. You know, to places like China and India.

That’s the abundant harvest; that’s why he’s asking to send out laborers. The harvest will continue until the end of time.

Fun side note: this is the first time Matthew refers to “the twelve;” he assumes you know who they are. While the Bible is indeed a collection of books, few, if any, of them are meant to be read in isolation. Matthew knows his audience has read some of this before, probably in Mark. But Matthew puts his own spin on things, as do each of the Gospels, which is why we kept all four in the bible.