How many of you have now or ever had a vegetable garden? You know it takes work and your attention to help the plants grow and produce food. You prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and water them.  You spend time keeping the weeds away so the plants can grow and not compete for the water and nutrients in the soil. You pray to God for a good crop of food. You watch the plants grow and have a sense of pride or accomplishment. Then when the time is right, you harvest the food. If you have a good crop, you share some of the bounty with others.

In my family, we had a very large garden, and all of us kids spent time planting, weeding, watering, and picking. That was our role, what our parents asked us to do. I think of the garden when I reflect on these readings because they remind us of our role or mission that God has created for each of us.

In the Gospel, Jesus sends the seventy-two out ahead of him, to proclaim the good news. He wants the people to be prepared and ready to receive him when he comes into their town. Just like preparing the soil in the garden to receive the plants, you loosen the soil, get rid of the rocks and weeds that make it hard for the plants to grow. So, these seventy-two were sent to loosen hearts and let the people know the kingdom of God is at hand.

Jesus said: “the harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. So, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” There are many, especially in our day, who need to hear of the good news. How God loves them and wants only good for them. That Jesus died to save us and offer us eternal life in heaven. God wants our help to be his laborers. That is the call we received at Baptism and strengthen in Confirmation. 

To be his hands and feet. To let him use our voice to talk about his infinite love. And he will use each of us in different ways based on the gifts and talents we have received from him. In that family garden there were many of us, all at different ages and abilities. We each did what we could do. The young ones pulled weeds by hand, while others use a hoe or the tractor. As we got older, we could do more. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we can do more as well and feel more comfortable in conversations about him with others.

God will never ask us to do more than we can do. Maybe you feel like you don’t know much or what to do or where to start. That is okay. We need to trust him. As Isaiah tells us, God’s love is just like that of a mother with her child. Holding them in her arms protecting and nurturing them. Isaiah reminds us to rejoice in the tenderness and compassion of God. We can start by sharing God’s compassion with others and even tell others about how His compassion and love for us is working in our lives.

At the end of every Mass, we are instructed, just like the seventy-two, to go out to announce the Gospel of the Lord. Before that, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist to strengthen ourselves for our mission. In that mission, we remind ourselves and tell others about the glory of the Cross of Christ. When we focus on the Cross, it changes us. It helps us to embrace the good we receive from God and allows us to endure the struggles of life with joy and humility. The Cross shows us how much God loves us, and he brought salvation to the world. It reminds us that Jesus is our greatest source of strength. That is what we are called to share with others.

The work of sharing God’s love is not always easy, but it is rewarding. It has its challenges, but it also brings hope. Jesus prepares us for those challenges just like he did to the seventy-two. He did not sugar-coat it. He said you are lambs among wolves. That’s why he sent them in pairs, to have support for each other. That’s what we call the Church. He said take nothing with you and don’t stop to talk to anyone on the way to your destination. Wait, that seems confusing… If we are to proclaim the good news, shouldn’t we stop and talk? Jesus means, stay focused and do not let the world distract you. And if someone doesn’t want to hear the good news, move on. Those who do want to hear, the peace of Christ will be with them.

The world is the garden and there is much work to do before Jesus comes again. He is calling you to go out and prepare those you encounter for him. First, loosen your part of the garden so you can be strengthened by him. Then, you can show others through your actions and words how a relationship with Jesus, who is the way to the Father, can help them tend their patch of ground, giving them hope, and producing much fruit for the kingdom of God.