“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Often, we are asked to pray for vocations to the priesthood and/or religious life based on this passage from today’s Gospel, and we should pray. Remember, though, that Jesus “appointed seventy two others.” He realized that the work to be done was going take many people to accomplish this. In today’s world we know that indeed, there is much work be done. Many haven’t heard the good news of the Gospel or many do not understand what it means, or many may not be ready to allow this message to touch their hearts. Priests and religious need to do their share of accomplishing this, but the task cannot be done without you – lay women and lay men living out the values of the Gospel and setting a good example for others. People may, at times, ask you why you believe in God or even, why you still are active in the church. Your answer has a great value. When it comes from the heart, it is important. You may feel inadequate to answer specific questions, but your heart felt response means much.
From the insert in a recent bulletin, there was a flyer about the St. Francis Church 175 Anniversary Commemorative Book. We would like to invite you to participate in this book by placing an ad, offering congratulations, remembering deceased loved ones, and a section for pets. These come in different sizes and any photos should be high resolution. A free copy of the book will be given to anyone purchasing space, or you may pre-order a copy using the ad in today’s bulletin or you can download it ONLINE here. We want to celebrate this monumental anniversary.
-Fr. Andrew Reitz, OFM