When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, with power to drive them out and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ´The kingdom of heaven has come near.´ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment."

Introductory Prayer: Your gift of faith gives me the strength to hear your word and be zealous for souls as you taught your first Twelve Apostles. I place my hope in your divine grace, for that is what sustains me in my effort to follow you. I want to increase my love for you by loving and giving myself to serve the souls for whom you died and rose again. I praise and bless you for your mercy and your fidelity.

Petition: Lord, fill me with apostolic zeal for the salvation of souls.
 
1. "The harvest is rich but the laborers are few." While the self-righteous look on the world and find only things to condemn, Christ looks on the same world and is moved with pity to do something for those who suffer so much spiritual and physical want. He didnt come to condemn, but to give his life for us when were still, in St Pauls words his enemies.

Jesus plan is not only to give himself personally, but to show us how to give ourselves, and to send us to give ourselves for souls. For this, we need to learn to look on the world as he did, as a place full of needs, a place in need of the love and remedy only Christ can give. Even though Christ is the ultimate solution to the worlds needs, and he came so that all could have life, this does not mean we have no part to play. Though Christ is the one mediator and the only savior, he never envisioned being the sole protagonist of the worlds salvation. He has wanted to need helpers, laborers to bring his salvation into the world.   He asks, Who will go with me into this harvest?

2. " So ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers to his harvest." There are two ways of praying for laborers for the harvest: one is to pray for God to send someone, and the other is to ask, Lord, what do you want me to do, how do you want me to work in your harvest? Both are necessary. Every Christian is called to be a laborer in the Lords harvest. By Baptism we are all called to be evangelizers, to be apostles of Christ, to be able to give reason for our faith and to transform the world around us by our example and action, by our works of charity.  Most Christians are called to do this from within society, in their families and within the social context in which they find themselves placed. But there are those who are called to dedicate themselves exclusively to the service of Christ and neighbor, what we usually call the consecrated vocation and the priesthood. Each one must pray and we must each put ourselves at the service of the Lord to use us as he wills in the work of the harvest. Here I am, Lord, send me. Our first task in collaborating with Christ in the salvation of souls is to pray, that laborers will enter the harvest and that we will discover what it is that Christ wants us to do individually. "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened." Our action and our work to reap the harvest must first begin on our knees, and it will be fruitful.

3. "You received without payment; give without payment." "The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it and spread it" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1816). One of the difficulties we face in trying to follow Christ is to live up to his example of generosity. It will help us very much if we cultivate the virtue and attitude of gratitude. In prayer and in daily life, let us recognize the sheer generosity of God in all he gave us: life, salvation, grace, material things, spiritual life, the sacraments, even our crosses. It is much easier to be generous in our forgiving when we remember how we have been forgiven, in our giving when we acknowledge all we have received. If we have constantly before us the generosity of our heavenly Father who makes the sun to come out on the just and the unjust we will be less inclined to hold back from others. What have you that you have not received, asked St Paul. Jesus speaks of not only doing good to those who will repay us, but to those who cannot repay us in this life, so that the Father can reward us in the life to come. The heart of the true apostle, the true laborer in the Lords harvest, is a heart full of gratitude and generous love. 

Conversation: Lord Jesus, thank you for all your gifts. I know you hear my every need and desire. I desire today to freely share my faith with others so that through my prayer and work for the salvation of souls others may come to know and love the message of the Gospel.
 
Questionnaire:

1. What is my attitude toward the needs and problems of the world?

2. What do I do to build the Kingdom of God each day? Have I found what Christ wants me to do?

3. How aware am I of all God has given me? How does this affect my attitude toward life and toward my own particular call in life?