06/13/2026
Laborers of love
The great endeavors in the world have something in common. They attract people who are willing to dedicate their whole lives to a cause.
It happens in the military and academia and health care. People are even willing to forgo marriage and children for the sake of a mission.
The Church depends on that same kind of dedication. It needs men and women who are willing to give their lives as priests or consecrated, to celebrate the sacraments and carry out apostolates such as schools and hospitals.
The Church is labor intensive. Though supernatural, it also relies on the human touch,
on one-on-one contact between people.
To many who follow a call to serve the Church, it proves to be a life of great joy and meaning. It’s a life that makes a difference in the lives of others.
For some who begin to feel such a call, the life can seem intimidating. It might seem like a litany of deprivations: no spouse, no children, no house, no flashy wardrobe, no five-day workweeks.
Jesus understood the hesitation that people would have toward a vocation. That is one
reason he says in today’s Gospel, “Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers
for his harvest.”
The harvest are those souls who are on the verge of following Jesus more profoundly.
They just might need a priest or consecrated person to give them a nudge of confidence
to follow Our Lord.
Jesus’ message is clear: All of us need to pray for and encourage vocations. If we want the Eucharist and the other sacraments, for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren, we will need priests. And lots of them.
And those families who are willing to let a son or daughter pursue a vocation will find that God has a way of being generous in return.
So, if you see young people who show signs of a vocation, please pray for and encourage them. The harvest they help gather someday might include your loved ones.
– Father Edward McIlmail, LC
