Today’s readings are about a tragedy.
Not the tragedy of unbelief.
But the tragedy of religion without God.
The tragedy of people who keep the outward forms while losing the heart of faith.
Through the prophet Hosea, God speaks with sorrow:
“They have set up kings, but not as I intended; they have appointed princes, but without my approval.”
The people still consider themselves God’s people.
They still have shrines.
They still offer sacrifices.
Religion continues.
But God is no longer at the centre.
Instead they trust in politics.
Power.
Military strength.
Human schemes.
And idols.
One of the most striking lines in the reading is:
“They sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.”
It is a vivid image.
If you sow wheat, you expect wheat.
If you sow barley, you expect barley.
But if you sow wind, you reap destruction.
Every choice has consequences.
Every habit shapes a life.
Every act either brings us closer to God or further from Him.
The tragedy for Israel was that they wanted the blessings of belonging to God without the demands of belonging to God.
They wanted religion on their terms.
They wanted worship without obedience.
Sacrifice without conversion.
And if we are honest, that temptation has never disappeared.
It is possible to come to church and still keep God at arm’s length.
Possible to know prayers without really praying.
Possible to practise religion while refusing to surrender our lives to Christ.
That is why the Gospel is so striking.
Jesus heals a man who cannot speak.
The demon is cast out.
The man speaks.
The crowd is amazed.
The power of God is visible before their eyes.
Yet not everyone responds with faith.
Some people refuse to believe what is right in front of them.
The Pharisees explain away the miracle.
The evidence is there.
The truth is there.
But their hearts are closed.
The problem is not lack of evidence.
The problem is pride.
And then Matthew gives us one of the most beautiful descriptions of Christ in the whole Gospel.
Jesus looks at the crowds.
And what does He see?
Not problems.
Not statistics.
Not a burden.
He sees people.
Lost people.
Wounded people.
People searching for meaning.
People who need God.
And Matthew says:
“He felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.”
That sentence tells us so much about the Heart of Christ.
When Jesus sees sinners, He does not first feel anger.
When He sees the confused, He does not first feel irritation.
When He sees the lost, He feels compassion.
That does not mean He ignores sin.
It does not mean He lowers the truth.
But His first movement is mercy.
Because He sees what sin does to people.
How it wounds them.
How it scatters them.
How it leaves them searching for happiness in all the wrong places.
And then He says:
“The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few.”
What a remarkable statement.
Jesus does not say the harvest is poor.
He does not say nobody is interested.
He does not say there are no souls left to save.
The harvest is rich.
The problem is not the harvest.
The problem is the shortage of labourers.
That remains true today.
There are still people searching for God.
Still people carrying burdens.
Still people looking for hope.
Still people waiting to hear the Gospel.
The harvest remains rich.
The question is whether we are willing to be labourers.
Not spectators.
Not critics.
Not bystanders.
Labourers.
People who pray.
People who serve.
People who speak about Christ.
People who invite others back to the Church.
People whose lives point towards God.
Perhaps the connection between the readings is this.
Israel’s tragedy was that it had religion without conversion.
Christ’s desire is that people should have conversion that leads to mission.
Not merely believers who attend.
But disciples who labour.
And so today we might ask ourselves two questions.
First:
Am I placing my trust in God, or in modern idols—success, comfort, money, reputation, politics, or myself?
And second:
Am I merely part of the crowd, or am I one of the labourers?
Because the Lord still looks upon the world with compassion.
The harvest is still rich.
And He is still calling men and women to work in His field.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 