16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus cure during his years of public ministry? Hundreds? Thousands? The Gospels offer specific stories of the healing of individuals, but we are also told that Jesus went to various towns and villages and cured great crowds of people, either from physical illness or from possession by unclean spirits. Jesus’ heart was moved with pity, not only for individuals, but also for the crowds who came to him.

In our day and age, people still suffer, and some suffer terribly. There are the sick at heart. These include the discouraged, the frightened, the grieving, and those who are searching and need to hear the Good News. They need to know that there is more to life than this world. There is a Heaven and a God who created them, and loves them so much that he became a man and died on the cross to save them. Then there are those who are suffering physically: the homeless, victims of human trafficking and abuse, the hungry and the sick. They are all in need of healing.

Jesus continues to love and care for these suffering people through his followers. Long ago, Jesus observed that though the harvest was plentiful, the laborers were few (Matthew 9:38), and he would say the same thing today. His statement calling us to pray for more laborers has typically been interpreted as meaning that we should pray for more priests, deacons, and men and women religious. But actually every baptized person is responsible for “working in the fields” and “bringing in the harvest.”

This is because, at our Baptism, we were given new life in Christ, and called to do our part to carry on Jesus’ work and mission. How do we do this? Perhaps we pass on his teachings to our family members, or teach religious education in our parish. We hold firm and live according to the teachings and commands of Jesus, even when they are unpopular in a secular society. We help bring comfort to the sick and the suffering by visiting them and providing meals.

We help bring comfort to the sick and the suffering by visiting them and providing meals. We help bring comfort and strength to those who are struggling emotionally and spiritually by taking the time to visit or call, and lend a listening ear, or perhaps bring them to Mass.

Saint Benedict, known as the “father of western monasticism” for his influence in establishing monasteries in Europe, gave his monks the Latin motto, “Ora et labora,” which means “pray and work.” This is a good motto for all Christians. We are called to pray, certainly, but also to get busy and go about doing the Father’s business, just as Jesus did. Then we are doing our part in helping to build up God’s kingdom on earth, until that day, please God, when we experience his kingdom in Heaven.