Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

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." - Matthew 9:36-38

His heart was moved. That is the Sacred Heart in its most direct Gospel expression: Jesus seeing a crowd and being moved - not analyzing, not strategizing, moved with pity. The Greek word is the gut-response, the visceral compassion that goes all the way through. He cannot remain unmoved in the presence of people who have no shepherd.

God proves his love in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. The proving is in the timing: not when we were ready, not when we had made some progress, but while we were enemies. That is the love that sent the Twelve. That is the love that sends you.

The harvest is abundant. The laborers are few. Ask. The prayer is the entry point - the asking that precedes the sending. And then: freely you received, freely give. The authority given to the Twelve is the authority to distribute what they did not earn.

Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers. Name one specific person in your harvest - your family, your workplace, your neighborhood - and pray for them by name this week as part of the harvest. Then ask: am I one of the laborers for this person? And carry [name]: Lord, send a laborer into his harvest. Let your heart be moved with pity for him.

Lord, let my heart be moved with pity - not assessment, not strategy, moved. The harvest is abundant and I am one of the few laborers. Freely I have received; let me freely give. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.