Brothers and Sisters,

Today, we celebrate the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our Scripture readings of today’s mass call us to nurture a very positive and optimistic attitude toward life and the world. We read about God directing Moses to tell his people how precious they were to God, “dearer to me than all other people” and how they were called to be a “holy nation” (First reading). The responsorial Psalm calls us to “come before the Lord with joyful song.” The second reading reminds us that the Holy Spirit had been poured into our hearts, even when we were sinners. This must give us hope and make us joyful and this hope will never be disappointed.

The Gospel reading of today’s mass calls us to go out into the world with a positive and optimistic attitude. Jesus looked into the world and saw a rich harvest. Harvest is hope and joy. The spiritual leaders, at the time of Jesus, saw sinners to be condemned, Gentiles who do not follow the law, tax gatherers who were traitors to the nation, etc. But Jesus saw a rich harvest. He saw people to be gathered in and not kept out, alienated, separated or eliminated.

Jesus calls us today, as he did his disciples, to look beyond what we see and be positive and optimistic about us and the world around us – to see the goodness of God everywhere, in all situations and in all people!

Being positive and optimistic is not a novel idea or a doctrine. It is an attitude, an inner disposition. It is a way of seeing life and the world, a way of seeing the past, the present and the future, a way of seeing realities beyond the accidentals and the trivia, a way of looking beyond the immediate… a way of living, acting and being present in the world.

There are many people in the world today, including spiritual leaders, who speak more about the presence of sin and evil and the need to fight to overcome evil forces and conquer the world. The way of Jesus was and the way he wanted his followers to follow was to see the world ripe with a rich harvest and bring in the harvest. The disciples were sent to proclaim the good news of the presence of the Kingdom of God and not to proclaim the presence of evil. They were sent to be the “salt of the earth and light of the world.” We need to have more conversation about God’s Grace, forgiveness and peace than about the presence of evil that we need to be sacred of. Jesus calls us to be positive and optimistic and live and move in his grace.

To read more of this Sunday’s reflection, please click on the links below…